After one month of posting to Cross River State, the Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Maurice Ogbonna, has died in a hotel in Calabar.
The commander was found dead by his officers, who had come to pick him up for a scheduled assignment.
Spokesperson for the Cross River State Police Command, Irene Ugbo-Obase, confirmed the development and stated that an investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of death.
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Ogbonna, who was transferred to Cross River in August 2025, had only recently assumed duty in the state.
Marwa Mourns
Meanwhile, the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), has commiserated with Ogbonna’s family over the incident.
He said the report of the death was brought to his attention in Borno State, where he was attending a retreat for Heads of Agencies, organised by the Federal Ministry of Justice.
Spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.
“CN Ogbonna has been up and doing at his new command and was billed to lead his officers on some scheduled engagements at 10 a.m. on Thursday, September 18, 2025 but when his officers didn’t hear from him by 9am, they went to his hotel room in company of the hotel staff while several knocks at his door and calls to his telephone line went unanswered.
“Attempts by the hotel staff to open or force the door open from outside failed, after which one of the hotel attendants had to go through the ceiling aperture to enter the room and open the door from inside, where they found the Commander’s lifeless body,” Babafemi stated.
Police Alerted
Speaking on further steps taken, he said, “The police command in the state was promptly alerted, after which the Commissioner of Police personally visited the scene while the police continued with the investigation of the cause of death.
“To assist police investigation, the Chairman/Chief Executive of the agency has since directed the Zonal Commander, Zone 14 Command of NDLEA, ACGN Mathew Ewah to relocate to Calabar.
“While commiserating with the family of the deceased senior officer, Marwa said the Agency stands with the family in this trying moment, and prayed that God will comfort them and grant the departed eternal rest.”
