4 Drug Kingpins Sentenced to 95 Years, Forfeit Vehicles and Assets

Four drug kingpins have been sentenced to a combined total of 95 years in prison by the Federal High Court in Lagos and Yola, Adamawa State, for their involvement in the trafficking of cocaine and skunk worth over N4.6 billion.

Ogbuji Christian Ifeanyi, one of the convicted, was apprehended by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, on September 18, 2024. Ogbuji was caught smuggling 817 wraps of cocaine, weighing 19.4 kilograms with an estimated street value of N4.6 billion. This was just 16 months after his previous conviction in 2023, where he was arrested at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine.

After his arrest in 2024, Ogbuji was arraigned before Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court, Lagos, and sentenced to five years on the first count, with an option of a N7 million fine. The second count carried a 10-year sentence without the option of a fine. If he fails to pay the fine, he would serve a total of 15 years in prison. The court also ordered the forfeiture of monetary exhibits and other items found on him.

Iloduba Augustine Chinonye, aged 51, was arrested by NDLEA operatives at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, on December 31, 2021, for cocaine trafficking. He had ingested 58 wraps of cocaine, expelling 48 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the remaining 10 in NDLEA custody. Iloduba was convicted after three years of prosecution, sentenced to five years on each of the two counts, totaling 10 years to run concurrently, starting from March 5, 2025.

Shuaibu Nuhu Isa (a.k.a Don), 55, and Zidon Zurga, 50, were arrested on November 25, 2024, along the Numan-Yola road with 500.8 kg of skunk, concealed in two vehicles—a Toyota Hilux and a Prado SUV. They were convicted on February 7, 2025, by Justice Bala Usman of the Federal High Court in Yola to 35 years each for their roles in trafficking the illicit drug. The court also imposed a N25 million fine on each of them and ordered the forfeiture of the vehicles used in the crime.

NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), expressed his appreciation for the hard work of the officers involved in the arrests and prosecutions, emphasizing that the convictions and forfeitures of crime-related assets would serve as a strong deterrent to drug trafficking in Nigeria.

“These convictions and the forfeiture of their criminal assets further underscore our determination to dismantle drug networks in the country,” Marwa said.