Four Drug Kingpins Sentenced To 95 Years In Prison For N4.6bn Drug Trafficking

Four notorious drug kingpins have been sentenced to 95 years in prison for trafficking cocaine and skunk worth more than N4.6 billion.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) secured the convictions in Federal High Courts in Lagos and Yola, Adamawa State, marking a significant victory in Nigeria’s ongoing fight against drug trafficking.

The convicts are Ogbuji Ifeanyi, Iloduba Chinonye, Shuaibu Isa (also known as Don), and Zidon Zurga. Their sentences were issued between February 5th and March 5th, 2025.

Ogbuji Ifeanyi, a 48-year-old businessman, received the most severe sentence. He was first arrested on May 10th, 2023, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

Abuja for ingesting 93 cocaine pellets. While he received a two-year sentence for that offence (with the option of a N3 million fine, which he paid), his freedom was brief.

On September 18th, 2024, he was apprehended again at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, this time for importing 19.4 kilogrammes of cocaine (817 wraps) worth approximately N47 billion.

Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court in Lagos sentenced him to 15 years in prison (five years plus ten years consecutively) for failing to pay a N7 million fine. The court ordered the forfeiture of all assets seized during his arrest.

Iloduba Chinonye, 51, was arrested on December 31st, 2021, at Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu for consuming 58 wraps of cocaine.

After a three-year trial, Justice Folashade Giwa Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court in Enugu sentenced him to 10 years in prison (five years on each of two counts, to run concurrently).

Shuaibu Isa (also known as Don), 55, and Zidon Zurga, 50, were apprehended on November 25th, 2024, along the Numan-Yola road, with 500.8 kilogrammes of skunk concealed in two vehicles.

Justice Bala Usman of the Federal High Court in Yola sentenced each to 35 years in prison on two counts, for a total of 70 years, or a N25 million fine. The court also ordered the interim forfeiture of their vehicles.

The combined sentences for the four convicts total 95 years.

Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), NDLEA Chairman/CEO, praised the courts and NDLEA officers who participated in the investigations and prosecutions, saying the convictions send a strong message against drug trafficking.

He emphasised that forfeiting the criminals’ assets would deter future crimes.