.. confiscates vehicles, consignment worth N4.6bn

In a significant triumph against drug trafficking, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has secured a cumulative 95-year prison sentence for four drug kingpins, Ogbuji Christian Ifeanyi, Iloduba Augustine Chinonye, Shuaibu Nuhu Isa (a.k.a Don), and Zidon Zurga, following their convictions for trafficking cocaine and skunk worth over N4.6 billion.

The Federal High Courts in Lagos, Yola and Adamawa States, delivered the verdicts in separate trials, reinforcing the agency’s crackdown on illicit drug networks across the country.

Ogbuji Christian Ifeanyi was apprehended on September 18, 2024, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines passengers from Addis Ababa.

NDLEA operatives were said to have discovered 817 wraps of cocaine, weighing 19.40 kilograms, concealed in his luggage. The illicit consignment was valued at an estimated N4.65 billion.

His arrest marked the second time he was caught trafficking drugs within a span of 16 months.

Also on May 10, 2023, he was intercepted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after arriving from Uganda via Addis Ababa. Investigators found he had ingested 1.986kg of cocaine.

Initially convicted by Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on July 13, 2023 in Charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR/192/2023, Ogbuji was sentenced to two years imprisonment or a N3 million fine, which he paid to secure his release.

However, his re-arrest at the Lagos Airport in September 2024, with an even larger drug haul led to his arraignment before Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court, Lagos on February 28, 2025.

He was sentenced to five years imprisonment on Count One, with an option of a N7 million fine; ten years imprisonment on Count Two, without an option of a fine.

The court ruled that failure to pay the fine would result in a total of 15 years behind bars, while it further ordered the forfeiture of all monetary exhibits and possessions found on him at the time of arrest.

Iloduba Augustine Chinonye, 51, was apprehended on December 31, 2021 at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, after authorities discovered he had ingested 58 wraps of cocaine. En route through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he excreted 48 wraps before expelling the remaining 10 under NDLEA custody in Nigeria.

Charged before Justice Folashade Giwa Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court, Enugu in Charge No: FHC/EN/CR/18/2022, Iloduba faced a prolonged trial spanning three years.

On March 5, 2025, he was convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment on each count, totalling 10 years, to run concurrently from the date of conviction.

In another major bust, Shuaibu Nuhu Isa, 55 and Zidon Zurga, 50, were arrested on November 25, 2024, along the Numan-Yola Road, Adamawa State.

NDLEA officers uncovered 500.8kg of skunk hidden in a Toyota Hilux marked Lagos NT 829 AAA). A Prado SUV fitted with a counterfeit Presidency number plate 01B-266 FG.

Arraigned before Justice Bala Usman of the Federal High Court, sitting in Yola, in Charge No: FHC/YL/150/2024, the duo faced multiple charges relating to drug trafficking.

On February 7, 2025, the court convicted and sentenced them to 35 years imprisonment each on two counts, totalling 70 years combined, with an alternative fine of N25 million each.

Additionally, the court ordered the interim forfeiture of both vehicles used in the illicit trade.

NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig Gen Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd.), lauded the judiciary and the agency’s investigative teams at MMIA, Akanu Ibiam International Airport, and Adamawa State Commands for their unwavering commitment to dismantling drug syndicates.

“The convictions and the forfeiture of the convicts’ instruments of crime will further strengthen the deterrent effect of our ongoing efforts to completely dismantle drug networks in Nigeria,” Marwa stated.

The recent convictions, he noted, signal a warning to traffickers that Nigeria remains resolute in its fight against illicit drugs, with law enforcement agencies intensifying efforts to curb the menace.