Four notorious drug traffickers have been sentenced to a total of 95 years in prison by the Federal High Courts sitting in Lagos and Yola, following their conviction for operating major drug smuggling rings involving c0caine and skunk valued at over N4.6 billion.

The convicted individuals: Ogbuji Christian Ifeanyi, Iloduba Augustine Chinonye, Shuaibu Nuhu Isa (also known as Don), and Zidon Zurga, were apprehended by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) during separate operations across the country.

Ogbuji Christian Ifeanyi, 48, was arrested on September 18, by NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

He was found in possession of 817 wraps of c0caine, weighing 19.40 kilograms, while arriving on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa. The c0caine was estimated to have a street value of N4.65 billion.

This was not Ogbuji’s first brush with the law. In May 2023, he was arrested in Abuja for ingesting 93 pellets of c0caine.

He was convicted in July of that year and sentenced to two years imprisonment but was freed after paying a fine of N3 million.

Following his latest arrest, Ogbuji was arraigned before Justice Yellim Bogoro and, on February 28, 2025, received a five-year jail term with a N7 million fine option on one count and a 10-year prison sentence without an option of fine on the second count.

Both sentences are to run consecutively. The court also ordered the forfeiture of money and other items seized from him during his arrest.

Iloduba Augustine Chinonye, 51, was caught by NDLEA operatives on December 31, 2021, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu. He had ingested 58 wraps of c0caine, excreting 48 wraps during transit in Addis Ababa and the remaining 10 upon arrival in Nigeria.

Following his arraignment, Justice Folashade Giwa Ogunbanjo sentenced him on March 5, 2025, to 10 years imprisonment on two counts, with both terms running concurrently.

On November 25, 2024, NDLEA officers arrested Shuaibu Nuhu Isa, 55, and Zidon Zurga, 50, along the Numan-Yola highway.

They were found transporting 500.8 kilograms of skunk hidden in a Toyota Hilux and a Prado SUV bearing a fake presidency license plate.

Both men were convicted on February 7, 2025, and sentenced to 35 years imprisonment each on two counts.

They were also given the option of paying N25 million fines. The court ordered the temporary forfeiture of the two vehicles used to smuggle the drugs.

Reacting to the verdicts, NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the judiciary and the agency's teams for their efforts in bringing the traffickers to justice.

"These convictions and the seizure of criminal assets are strong warnings to drug cartels that their operations will be dismantled and they will face the full force of the law," Marwa said.

He also commended the dedication of officers from the MMIA Strategic Command, Akanu Ibiam International Airport Special Area Command, and the Adamawa State Command, noting their professionalism throughout the investigations.

Previously, Legit.ng reported that a 42-year-old Angolan national, Mbala Dajou Abuba, was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) after he was found attempting to smuggle c0caine to Istanbul, Turkey.

The suspect was intercepted on February 25, 2025, while preparing to board an Egypt Air flight to Turkey through Cairo.

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Source: Legit.ng