Four notorious drug kingpins have been sentenced to a total of 95 years in prison by Federal High Courts in Lagos and Yola, Adamawa State, after being convicted of trafficking cocaine and skunk worth over N4.6 billion. The convicts—Ogbuji Christian Ifeanyi, Iloduba Augustine Chinonye, Shuaibu Nuhu Isa (a.k.a Don), and Zidon Zurga—also had their luxury vehicles forfeited to the Federal Government.
Femi Babafemi, the spokesperson for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), revealed that Ogbuji, 48, was arrested at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on September 18, 2024, while attempting to import 817 wraps of cocaine weighing 19.40 kilograms, valued at N4.65 billion. This arrest followed a previous conviction in July 2023, where he had been caught with cocaine after ingesting 93 pellets in May 2023. Ogbuji was sentenced to two years in prison but was released after paying a fine. However, he was caught again less than 16 months later with a larger consignment of cocaine, leading to his final conviction in February 2025, where he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the cocaine trafficking charges.
Iloduba, 51, was arrested on December 31, 2021, at Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu for ingesting 58 wraps of cocaine. After three years of prosecution, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison in March 2025.
Shuaibu Isa and Zidon Zurga were arrested on November 25, 2024, while trafficking 500.8 kg of skunk concealed in luxury vehicles. They were sentenced to 35 years each in prison following their conviction in February 2025, with their vehicles forfeited as part of the ruling.
These convictions and sentences serve as part of the ongoing efforts by the NDLEA to combat drug trafficking in Nigeria.