The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has been accused of conducting a media trial in its ongoing prosecution of Uzoma Ilomuanya, as his younger brother, Philip, alleged that the agency is deliberately shaping public perception to suggest guilt ahead of judicial determination.
Philip Ilomuanya, who spoke on the development, claimed that the agency’s public statements and narratives were aimed at prejudicing the minds of the public and undermining the fairness of the judicial process.
According to him, such actions risk creating a hostile environment for the defendant and could potentially influence the outcome of the case, which is currently pending before the Federal High Court in Lagos.
He expressed particular concern over a recent statement by the NDLEA in which the agency claimed that Ilomuanya, a 58-year-old man, had been on its wanted list and that of British authorities for over 15 years prior to his arrest.
Describing the claim as misleading, Philip insisted that available court records contradict the agency’s position.
He noted that the NDLEA has been prosecuting Ilomuanya on drug-related charges since 2021, following his arrest in 2018.
He further explained that the matter has been heard by three judges of the Federal High Court in Lagos, namely Justices Saliu Seidu, A. Awogboro, and currently, Justice Musa Kakaki, underscoring what he described as the agency’s active and continuous involvement in the prosecution.
“It is misleading for the NDLEA to suggest a prolonged manhunt when its own prosecutors have been actively conducting the trial in court,” he said.
Philip also faulted the agency for allegedly omitting key facts in its public statements, particularly that its operatives had already testified during the course of the trial.
He added that records of proceedings before Justices Awogboro and Kakaki indicate that Ilomuanya had appeared in court no fewer than 18 times between December 19, 2021, and February 23, 2026.
Challenging the circumstances surrounding his brother’s arrest, Philip alleged that Ilomuanya was apprehended within the court premises on February 23, 2026, shortly after proceedings for the day, and subsequently taken into custody by NDLEA officials.
He questioned the agency’s narrative of a prolonged manhunt, asking how a defendant who had consistently appeared in court for years could be described as a fugitive.
“The question is: if NDLEA has been prosecuting him since 2021 and he has consistently appeared in court whenever the matter came up, where then is the manhunt, and how did he become a fugitive?” he queried.
Philip warned that what he described as a “half-truth media trial” amounts to a violation of the presumption of innocence guaranteed under Section 36(5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
According to him, such practices could lead to what he termed “public court” judgments, which may be prejudicial to defendants and difficult to reverse, even where a court of law eventually finds the accused not guilty.
