British-Nigerian influencer and socialite Igho “Tiny” Ubiribo, known for his high-profile lifestyle and friendship with Afrobeats star Davido, has reportedly died in Bangkok, Thailand, months after undergoing a penis-enlargement procedure.
Ubiribo reportedly died in March 2026 following complications linked to the procedure.
His death has brought renewed attention to a controversial chapter in his past after the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) declared him and his wife, Danielle Simba Allen, wanted in April 2023 over alleged involvement in an international drug trafficking syndicate.
At the time, the NDLEA alleged that Ubiribo and Allen were the overall heads of a drug network operating from Los Angeles, United States, with operations extending to Nigeria.
According to the agency, investigations began after its operatives intercepted a 32.70kg consignment of Loud, a strong variant of cannabis, at the NAHCO import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, in November 2022.
The cannabis was allegedly concealed in cartons of used clothes.
A freight agent, Ukoh Ifeanyi Oguguo, was arrested following the seizure, while further investigations led to the arrest of several other suspects.
The NDLEA said one of those arrested was a 15-year-old girl identified as Favour, who was allegedly recruited as a salesgirl in the drug trade.
Investigators subsequently traced her to a rented duplex in the Ikate area of Lekki, which the agency alleged had been secured by the syndicate to house four young girls involved in the marketing and distribution of illicit drugs.
Another girl, Shalom, a fresh graduate of Agricultural Science from Rivers State University of Science and Technology, was also arrested at the property.
The agency further alleged that the syndicate operated another building in Richmond Estate, Lekki, as a drug warehouse. When NDLEA operatives located the premises, they reportedly found that members of the group had broken into the facility and removed bags of illicit substances.
Drug-packaging equipment, including a sealing machine, bloating machine and packaging bags, was recovered from the property.
An arrested suspect, Edward Omatseye, popularly known as Montana, allegedly told investigators that he worked for Ubiribo and Allen and identified the couple as the overall heads of the organisation.
The NDLEA also alleged that Prophetess Faith Ugochi, founder of Christ Power Adoration Ministries in Port Harcourt, recruited teenage girls into the operation through her church platform.
The agency said Ugochi allegedly identified and recruited young girls brought to her for assistance, who were subsequently used as sales representatives for the alleged drug network.
While some suspects, including Omatseye and Nnochiri Chidinma Promise, were charged before the Federal High Court in Lagos, the NDLEA said repeated invitations to Ubiribo, Allen and Ugochi to appear for questioning were not honoured.
According to the agency, Ubiribo and Allen initially responded through a lawyer requesting more time to appear but later stopped communicating with investigators.
The NDLEA subsequently obtained a Federal High Court order declaring the couple wanted.
The agency also alleged that money traced to the couple’s company, Lasgidi Backwood Ltd, was moved to a private account belonging to one Victor Imagoro after the investigation began.
It said it obtained an order blocking ₦80 million traced to the account and secured an order to seize properties, including a fuel station allegedly linked to the suspects in Lagos and Port Harcourt.
Despite the serious allegations, Ubiribo’s public profile was markedly different from the criminal investigation surrounding him.
He was known in social circles as “Tiny” and maintained relationships with prominent figures in Nigeria’s entertainment and celebrity scene. His friendship with Davido was particularly notable, with Ubiribo appearing within the singer’s wider social circle.
His social-media presence projected the image of a wealthy international socialite, with his lifestyle, travels, celebrity associations and relationships attracting attention online.
That public persona contrasted sharply with the allegations levelled against him by the NDLEA, which described him and his wife as the alleged “arrowheads” of an international drug trafficking operation.
Ubiribo’s reported death in Bangkok now closes a chapter that had remained unresolved since the NDLEA declared him wanted three years ago.
There is no indication from the NDLEA statement cited above that Ubiribo was convicted of the allegations against him before his death. The agency’s 2023 declaration concerned allegations arising from its investigation and its efforts to bring him before investigators.
His death in Thailand therefore leaves questions surrounding the outstanding investigation and the status of the criminal allegations that had followed him since 2023.