Saturday, October 31, 2026

NDLEA orders probe as Cross River commander dies in hotel room

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

• September 19, 2025
Ogbonna Uzoma.
Ogbonna Uzoma.

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)

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

Nigerian Bar Association

States

Independence: NBA urges Nigerians to expect better future

The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

NABTEB

Education

NABTEB announces release of certificates for candidates up to 2024

Mr Mohammed said the certificates were ready for collection by successful candidates.

Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat

Lagos

2027: Hamzat pledges safer, cleaner Lagos

The manifesto comprises seven pillars, 31 chapters and 100 pledges.

Alake at Nigeria Gold Day Celebration event

Heading 2

Plateau: Alake calls for establishment of army battalion, stronger enforcement to curb illegal mining

The minister described enforcement as the most effective approach to tackling illegal mining.

Olusegun Obasanjo

NationWide

Obasanjo cautions against uncontrolled AI, urges local solutions

Mr Obasanjo cited concerns about AI-generated content and its potential to manipulate and distort identities.

Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE)

Heading 5

NSE seeks partnerships to advance engineering development 

The president said the NSE was ready to deploy its technical expertise to support the proposed partnerships.