NDLEA Cross River commander found dead in Calabar hotel — Report

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has been thrown into mourning following the sudden death of its Cross River State Commander, Chief Narcotics Officer Ogbonna Uzoma.

Director, Media & Advocacy at the NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Friday, said the late commander, who assumed duty on August 18, 2025, was discovered lifeless in his hotel room in Calabar on Thursday after failing to show up for scheduled engagements.

Babafemi said, “CN Ogbonna had been up and doing at his new Command and was billed to lead his officers on some scheduled engagements at 10am on Thursday 18th September 2025. But when his officers didn’t hear from him by 9am, they went to his hotel room in company of the hotel staff while several knocks at his door and calls to his telephone line went unanswered.

“Attempts by the hotel staff to open or force the door open from outside failed, after which one of the attendants had to go through the ceiling aperture to enter the room and open the door from inside, where they found the Commander’s lifeless body.”

Babafemi said the state police were immediately alerted. “The Police Command in the state was promptly informed, after which the Commissioner of Police personally visited the scene, while the police continue with investigation of the cause of death,” he noted.

To support the inquiry, NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), directed the Zonal Commander, Zone 14, ACGN Mathew Ewah, to relocate to Calabar.

“The Chairman/Chief Executive has since directed the Zonal Commander to move to Cross River to assist police investigation,” the statement said.

While the cause of his death is not yet known, the agency has expressed sympathy and reassured its commitment to a full investigation.

Commiserating with the family, Marwa said, “The Agency stands with the family in this trying moment, and we pray that God will comfort them and grant the departed eternal rest.”

While Ogbonna’s tenure in Cross River was brief, he was known to be active immediately upon assuming the role. He had resumed leadership duties promptly upon his arrival in August and was already engaging his officers in operational planning.

Cross River State has been a focal point for NDLEA operations in recent years. It was reported that in June 2025, the agency destroyed a 30-hectare cannabis farm within the state and reported large seizures of illicit drugs in that period.

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