NIGERIA: Four Drug Kingpins Receive 95-Year Sentence Over Billion-Naira Drug Trafficking Operation

By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria

The Federal High Courts in Lagos and Yola, Adamawa State, have sentenced four notorious drug kingpins to a combined 95 years in prison for trafficking cocaine and skunk worth over N4.6 billion.

The Director, Media and Advocacy NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

The convicts, Ogbuji Christian Ifeanyi, Iloduba Augustine Chinonye, Shuaibu Nuhu Isa (a.k.a Don), and Zidon Zurga, were found guilty after thorough investigations led by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Their arrests, which took place at major airports and highways across the country, underscore the agency’s relentless efforts to dismantle organized drug syndicates.

Babafemi narrated the history of Ogbuji’s arrest who was initially arrested at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on May 10, 2023, after arriving from Uganda via Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 951. He had ingested 93 pellets of cocaine, with a total weight of 1.986kg.

Following his arrest, he was arraigned before the Federal High Court 12, Abuja, presided over by Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon (Charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR/192/2023).

He was convicted on July 13, 2023, and sentenced to two years in prison, with an option of paying a N3 million fine, which he paid, securing his release.

Despite his time in jail, Ogbuni didn’t stop with crime.

Babafemi continued: “Ogbuji was again arrested at the Lagos airport with the large consignment of cocaine on 18th September 2024, after which he was arraigned before Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court Lagos in charge number: FHC/L/845C on 16th January 2025.

“He was eventually sentenced on 28th February to five years imprisonment on count one with an option of seven million naira fine and 10 years imprisonment on count two without an option of fine.

“If he failed to pay the N7million fine, the judge ruled that the convict will serve a total of 15 years in jail consecutively.

“The court ordered the forfeiture of monetary exhibits and other items found on him at the time of his arrest.

In a separate case, 51-year-old Iludoba was also apprehended by NDLEA operatives on December 31, 2021, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, for cocaine trafficking.”

He had ingested 58 wraps of cocaine, expelling 48 in transit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the remaining 10 in NDLEA custody after his arrest on January 1, 2022.

He was charged before Justice Folashade Giwa Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court, Enugu (Charge No: FHC/EN/CR/18/2022).

After three years of prosecution, he was convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment on each count, totaling 10 years, which will run concurrently from the date of conviction on March 5, 2025.

The statement further disclosed that in another case, Shuaibu Nuhu Isa (alias Don), 55, and Zidon Zurga, 50, were arrested on November 25, 2024, by NDLEA operatives along the Numan-Yola road while attempting to traffic 500.8kg of skunk (a potent cannabis strain).

The illicit drugs were concealed in a Toyota Hilux (Lagos NT 829 AAA) and a Prado SUV bearing a fake presidency number plate (01B-266 FG).

Both suspects were arraigned before Justice Bala Usman (Charge No: FHC/YL/150/2024) and convicted on February 7, 2025.

The court sentenced them to 35 years in prison each on two counts, bringing their total combined sentence to 70 years, or they could each pay a fine of N25 million.

Additionally, the court ordered the interim forfeiture of the two vehicles used in trafficking the illicit drugs.

Reacting to the convictions, NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the judicial system and NDLEA’s strategic commands at MMIA, Akanu Ibiam International Airport, and Adamawa State.

He emphasized that these rulings would serve as strong deterrents, reinforcing Nigeria’s crackdown on drug networks.

Marwa stated: “These convictions send a clear message that Nigeria will not tolerate drug trafficking. We remain committed to dismantling every drug cartel operating within our borders.”

The courts also ordered the forfeiture of monetary exhibits and vehicles used in the trafficking operations, ensuring that criminal assets do not return to the illicit trade.