Four drug traffickers, including Ogbuji Christian Ifeanyi, have been sentenced to 95 years in prison for cocaine and skunk trafficking worth N4.6 billion

Four notorious drug traffickers have been convicted and sentenced to a total of **95 years** in prison by courts in **Lagos**, **Yola**, and **Adamawa** for their involvement in trafficking **cocaine** and **skunk** worth over **N4.6 billion**.

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The sentence was confirmed in a statement on Friday by **Femi Babafemi**, Director of Media & Advocacy at the **National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)**.

The convicted individuals include **Ogbuji Christian Ifeanyi**, **Iloduba Augustine Chinonye**, **Shuaibu Nuhu Isa**, also known as **Don**, and **Zidon Zurga**. Their convictions are part of NDLEA’s ongoing effort to combat drug trafficking across Nigeria.

Ogbuji Christian Ifeanyi, a 48-year-old businessman, was intercepted by NDLEA operatives at the **Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA)** in Lagos on **18th September 2024**.

He was found attempting to smuggle **817 wraps of cocaine**, weighing **19.40 kilograms**, with an estimated street value of **N4.6 billion**.

This arrest occurred just **16 months** after he had been previously convicted for ingesting **93 pellets of cocaine** and sentenced to two years in prison.

This time, following his arrest in Lagos, he was arraigned before **Justice Yellim Bogoro** of the **Federal High Court Lagos** in **January 2025**, facing serious drug trafficking charges.

He was sentenced to **five years imprisonment** for one count with an option of a **N7 million** fine. If he fails to pay the fine, he will serve **an additional 10 years**, bringing his total prison term to **15 years**. The court also ordered the forfeiture of all monetary exhibits and items found on him during his arrest.

In the case of **Iloduba Augustine Chinonye**, a 51-year-old, he was arrested by NDLEA operatives on **31st December 2021** at **Akanu Ibiam International Airport** in Enugu for trafficking cocaine. He had ingested **58 wraps of cocaine**, expelling **48 wraps** in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the remaining **10 wraps** were excreted while in NDLEA custody.

After **three years of prosecution**, Iloduba was convicted and sentenced to **10 years in prison**, with **five years** for each of the two counts, to run concurrently from the date of his conviction on **5th March 2025**.

The final two convicts, **Shuaibu Nuhu Isa**, also known as **Don**, and **Zidon Zurga**, were apprehended by NDLEA operatives on **25th November 2024** along the **Numan-Yola road** with a massive consignment of **500.800kg of skunk**, a strain of cannabis. The drugs were concealed in two vehicles—one was a **Toyota Hilux** and the other, a **Prado SUV** with a fake **presidency number plate**.

The two men were arraigned before **Justice Bala Usman** in **February 2025**, and both were sentenced to **35 years in prison** on two counts each, or the option to pay a fine of **N25 million** each. Additionally, the court ordered the **interim forfeiture** of the two vehicles used in the drug trafficking operation.

Reacting to the convictions, the **Chairman/CEO of NDLEA**, **Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd)**, commended the trial courts and NDLEA officers involved in the investigations and prosecutions of these high-profile cases.

He emphasized that the convictions and the forfeiture of the convicts’ crime instruments would further strengthen the deterrent effect of the NDLEA’s ongoing efforts to dismantle drug networks in the country.

Marwa added, “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.”

The sentencing of these four drug kingpins serves as a significant step in Nigeria’s battle against the devastating impact of drug trafficking, with hopes that the rulings will send a clear message to others involved in the illicit drug trade.