By Nkechi Eze
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has been thrown into mourning following the sudden death of its Cross River State Commander, Chief Narcotics Officer Ogbonna Maurice Uzoma.
In a statement signed by the Director of Media and Advocacy of the Agency, Femi Babafemi, the development was made known to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), while he was attending a retreat for Heads of Agencies organized by the Federal Ministry of Justice in Maiduguri, Borno State.
The late Commander, who only recently assumed leadership of the Cross River State Command, resumed duty on August 18, 2025, after being appointed and posted to the state. He had temporarily lodged in a hotel in Calabar pending arrangements for a permanent residence.
According to the statement, CN Ogbonna was active in his new role and was scheduled to lead his officers for an official engagement by 10 a.m. on Thursday, September 18, 2025. However, concern grew when he was not heard from by 9 a.m., prompting his officers, alongside hotel staff, to check on him. Repeated knocks on his door and calls to his phone went unanswered.
When initial attempts to force open the door failed, a hotel attendant accessed the room through the ceiling aperture and opened it from inside, only for them to discover the Commander’s lifeless body. The Cross River State Police Command was immediately alerted, and the Commissioner of Police personally visited the scene. Investigations into the cause of death are ongoing.
To support the investigation, NDLEA’s Chairman has directed the Zonal Commander of Zone 14, Assistant Commander General of Narcotics Mathew Ewah, to relocate to Calabar.
While expressing his condolences to the family of the late Commander, Brig. Gen. Marwa said the agency deeply shares in their grief. “The Agency stands with the family in this trying moment,” Marwa said, praying that God would grant the bereaved family the strength to bear the loss and grant eternal rest to the departed soul.
