NAFDAC Nabs Suspected Aba Drug Kingpin After 5 Months on the Run

After five months of evading arrest, operatives of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) have apprehended Lazarus Onwukwe, a suspected major dealer in expired and counterfeit drugs.

Onwukwe was arrested on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at his residence in Umuocheala, Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area of Abia State. According to NAFDAC, the suspect was caught attempting to flee in a Sienna vehicle loaded with pharmaceutical products.

His arrest follows a February 11 raid carried out by a joint task force comprising NAFDAC, the Nigerian Army, the police, and the Department of State Services (DSS). During the operation, a mini drug factory was uncovered in his residence, where expired drugs were allegedly being revalidated, repackaged, and rebranded for public sale. NAFDAC described the operation as the largest bust of its kind in the South-East region.

Speaking to journalists, the Deputy Director of NAFDAC in charge of Investigation and Enforcement for the South-East and South-South, Omoyeni Babatunji, said the drugs recovered during the latest operation would undergo laboratory analysis and serve as evidence in court.

Babatunji also revealed that the previously sealed building was found to have been illegally rented out to new tenants. However, no drugs were discovered inside during the latest inspection.

In his defence, Onwukwe admitted to owning the buildings and using them as warehouses for what he claimed were genuine imported drugs. He denied any involvement in the sale of expired products, insisting NAFDAC’s allegations were false. He also claimed ignorance of the sealing of his property in February, attributing the rental of the premises to his wife while he was allegedly bedridden for over three months.

NAFDAC says it is committed to prosecuting the case to the fullest extent of the law and reaffirmed its determination to rid Nigerian markets of counterfeit and expired drugs.