Four Drug Kingpins Jailed for 95 Years Over N4.6b Drug Trafficking

Following the convictions, NDLEA Chairman Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised the courts and law enforcement officers for their efforts in dismantling drug networks. He emphasized that these verdicts send a strong message to drug traffickers and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to eradicating drug trafficking in Nigeria.

Lagos, Nigeria – Four high-profile drug traffickers have been sentenced to a combined total of 95 years in prison after being convicted for drug trafficking worth over N4.6 billion. The convictions were handed down by the Federal High Courts in Lagos and Yola, Adamawa State.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), in a statement released by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the sentencing of Ogbuji Christian Ifeanyi, Iloduba Augustine Chinonye, Shuaibu Nuhu Isa (also known as Don), and Zidon Zurga.

Ogbuji Christian Ifeanyi was arrested at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos on September 18, 2024, upon his arrival on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa. NDLEA officers found him in possession of 817 wraps of cocaine weighing 19.40kg, with an estimated street value of N4.656 billion.

This was not his first run-in with the law. Records show he had been previously arrested at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, in May 2023, for swallowing 93 pellets of cocaine. He was convicted in July 2023 and given a two-year prison sentence or the option to pay a N3 million fine, which he opted for.

Following his latest arrest in 2024, Ifeanyi was arraigned before Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court in Lagos on January 16, 2025. He was sentenced on February 28 to five years in prison on one count (with an option of a N7 million fine) and 10 years on a second count (without an option of a fine). If he fails to pay the fine, he will serve a total of 15 years behind bars. The court also ordered the forfeiture of his seized cash and other assets.

Another convict, Iloduba Augustine Chinonye, 51, was arrested at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, on December 31, 2021, after he was caught smuggling cocaine. Investigators discovered he had swallowed 58 wraps of the drug, with 48 expelled during transit in Addis Ababa and the remaining 10 recovered in NDLEA custody after his arrival in Nigeria.

Iloduba was charged before Justice Folashade Giwa Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court, Enugu, in case FHC/EN/CR/18/2022. After a three-year trial, he was convicted and sentenced on March 5, 2025, to two concurrent five-year jail terms, totaling 10 years in prison.

In a separate case, Shuaibu Nuhu Isa, 55, and Zidon Zurga, 50, were arrested by NDLEA officers on November 25, 2024, along the Numan-Yola highway. The duo was caught transporting 500.8kg of skunk (a potent cannabis strain) in a Toyota Hilux and a Prado SUV bearing fake presidential number plates.

They were arraigned before Justice Bala Usman of the Federal High Court, Yola, in case FHC/YL/150/2024 and found guilty on February 7, 2025. Each received a 35-year sentence on two counts, totaling 70 years, with the option of paying a N25 million fine each. Additionally, the court ordered the interim forfeiture of the vehicles used for the smuggling operation.

NDLEA Chief Reacts

Following the convictions, NDLEA Chairman Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised the courts and law enforcement officers for their efforts in dismantling drug networks. He emphasized that these verdicts send a strong message to drug traffickers and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to eradicating drug trafficking in Nigeria.