NDLEA orders probe as Cross River commander dies in hotel room

 

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has directed a probe into the sudden death of its Cross River State commander of narcotics (CN), Ogbonna Uzoma.

The NDLEA chairman, Buba Marwa, gave the directive on Friday in Maiduguri, Borno State, where he was attending a retreat for heads of agencies organised by the Federal Ministry of Justice.

In a statement by NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, Mr Marwa ordered the zonal commander, Zone 14, ACGN Mathew Ewah, to relocate to Calabar to support the police investigation into the incident.

Mr Marwa said Mr Uzoma, who resumed in Cross River on August 18, 2025, had lodged in a hotel while seeking suitable accommodation.

“He was scheduled to lead his officers for engagements at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 18, but could not be reached earlier that morning.

“Officers, in the company of hotel staff, attempted unsuccessfully to contact him before a hotel attendant gained access to his room through the ceiling and discovered Uzoma was lifeless inside.

“The Cross River Commissioner of Police later visited the scene, and investigations into the cause of death are ongoing,” he said.

While consoling the family, Mr Marwa described the development as painful and prayed for God’s comfort and the repose of the late commander’s soul.

(NAN)