ABUJA, Nigeria (CHATNEWSTV) — South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has commended Nigeria’s anti-narcotics agency for arresting a longtime fugitive wanted for trafficking drugs into Asia, and has formally requested his extradition to face pending charges in Seoul.
This was made known in a press statement issued Wednesday by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy for the NDLEA.
Kevin Jeff Ogbonnaya, 59, was arrested on Feb. 12 by Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at a residence in Lagos after evading capture for nearly two decades, authorities said Wednesday.
The Korean intelligence agency described him as “a key figure in an international drug organization” whose illicit shipments had plagued South Korea for years. He previously served a prison sentence in Korea in 2007 and was deported to Nigeria in 2008, but resurfaced under the radar in the global narcotics trade.
“We had been tracking Kevin Jeff for years,” NIS Director Taeyong Cho said in a letter delivered to NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa during a courtesy visit in Abuja. “Without the NDLEA’s invaluable cooperation, those long-standing efforts might have been in vain.”
Officials said an Interpol red notice had been issued against Jeff, whose trafficking operations ran into the billions of naira. NDLEA’s Special Operations Unit eventually traced him to a hideout on Ibukunoluwa Taiwo Close, off LASU Road in Lagos.
The visiting Korean delegation, led by officers Choi Younkwan and Kim Juseok, officially sought Ogbonnaya’s extradition to face charges in South Korea.
In response, Marwa said the world could rely on Nigeria in the global fight against illicit drugs and praised South Korea for supporting the NDLEA’s efforts.
“We’re delighted to partner with you,” Marwa said. “At any time, you can count on us to work together with you towards a drug-free world.”
He also thanked the Korean government for recent equipment donations to the agency and expressed optimism about training opportunities for NDLEA operatives in South Korea.
The NDLEA chief said the extradition request would be considered “within the limits allowed by Nigerian law and the bilateral agreements between our two countries.”
