According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Ogbuji, who had forfeited the cocaine, his international passport, and other items at his first arrest, was apprehended again on September 18, 2024, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. This time, Ogbuji attempted to smuggle 817 wraps of cocaine weighing 19.40kg, valued at N4.656 billion, concealed inside a black backpack.

Ogbuji had flown from Addis Ababa to Lagos onboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight and was caught trying to beat security by sneaking the backpack into a previously cleared suitcase. NDLEA officers, however, conducted a secondary search, uncovering the excreted drug pellets, which had been smuggled by multiple traffickers for a drug cartel.

During his interrogation, Ogbuji admitted that he left the backpack on the conveyor belt initially to evade detection, not realizing that NDLEA officers might conduct a follow-up search. He also confessed to procuring a new international passport to continue his illicit activities.