Four Drug Kingpins Jailed For 95 Years, Forfeit Luxury Vehicles, Assets

Ikeja, Lagos State– Four notorious drug traffickers, Ogbuji Christian Ifeanyi, Iloduba Augustine Chinonye, Shuaibu Nuhu Isa (a.k.a Don), and Zidon Zurga, have been sentenced to a cumulative 95 years in prison by the Federal High Court in Lagos and Yola, Adamawa State, for trafficking cocaine and skunk valued at over N4.6 billion.

Ogbuji was apprehended by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operatives at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, on September 18, 2024.

He was found in possession of 817 wraps of cocaine weighing 19.40 kilograms, with an estimated street value of N4.656 billion.

The arrest occurred during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines passengers from Addis Ababa.

The 48-year-old businessman had previously been arrested and convicted for a similar offense.

On May 10, 2023, he was caught at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, after ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine, weighing 1.986kg.

He was convicted by Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court, Abuja, and sentenced to two years in prison, with an option of a N3 million fine, which he paid to secure his release.

However, despite his prior conviction, Ogbuji was rearrested at Lagos Airport with a larger drug consignment. He was subsequently arraigned before Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on January 16, 2025, in case number FHC/L/845C.

On February 28, 2025, he was sentenced to five years in prison on count one with an option of a N7 million fine and 10 years on count two without an option of fine.

If he fails to pay the fine, he will serve a total of 15 years consecutively. The court also ordered the forfeiture of all monetary exhibits and assets found in his possession at the time of arrest.

In a related case, 51-year-old Iloduba 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, 48 of which he excreted in transit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, while the remaining 10 were expelled in NDLEA custody.

He was subsequently arraigned on two counts in case number FHC/EN/CR/18/2022 before Justice Folashade Giwa Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court, Enugu.

After three years of prosecution, Iloduba was found guilty and sentenced to five years imprisonment on each count, totaling 10 years, to run concurrently from his conviction date, March 5, 2025.

In the case of Shuaibu Nuhu Isa (a.k.a Don), 55, and Zidon Zurga, 50, they were arrested by NDLEA operatives on 25th November 2024 along Numan- Yola road with 500.800kg skunk, a strain of cannabis, concealed in a pilot Toyota Hilux vehicle marked Lagos NT 829 AAA and a Prado SUV with a fake presidency number plate 01B-266 FG.

They were later arraigned before Justice Bala Usman in charge number: FHC/YL/150 /2024 and convicted on 7th February 2025 to 35 years imprisonment each on two counts, bringing the combined years in jail for both of them to 70 years or pay a fine of N25 million each.

The court also ordered the interim forfeiture of the two jeeps used in trafficking the illicit drug consignment.

Reacting to the conviction, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the trial courts, the teams of officers who investigated and prosecuted the three cases at the MMIA Strategic Command in Lagos, Akanu Ibiam International Airport Special Area Command, Enugu and the Adamawa State Command for their diligence and professionalism.

Marwa noted that the conviction and the forfeiture of the convicts instruments of crime will further strengthen the deterrent effect of our ongoing effort to totally dismantle every drug network in the country.