Four drug kingpins – Ogbuji Christian Ifeanyi, Iloduba Augustine Chinonye, Shuaibu Nuhu Isa, popularly known as Don, and Zidon Zurga – have been convicted and sentenced to a total of 95 years in prison by courts in Lagos, Yola and Adamawa over trafficking of cocaine and skunk worth over N4.6 billion.
This was made known in a statement on Friday by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja.
Babafemi said that Ogbuji was intercepted by operatives of the NDLEA at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja Lagos on Wednesday 18th September 2024 during an inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines flight passengers from Addis Ababa for importing 817 wraps of cocaine weighing 19.40 kilograms with an estimated street value of N4.6 billion.
NDLEA said the development came barely 16 months after the 48-year-old businessman was arrested and convicted for ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine.
According the statement, the convict was first arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja, on Wednesday 10th May 2023 upon arrival from Uganda via Addis Ababa, onboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 951 for ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine with a gross weight of 1.986kg.
He was subsequently arraigned before Federal High Court 12 Abuja presided over by Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon in charge no: FHC/ABJ/CR/192/2023 and convicted on 13th July 2023.
Ogbuji was sentenced to two years imprisonment with an option of paying a fine of N3 million, which he paid and was set free.
In the case of Shuaibu Isa and Zidon Zurga, they were arrested by NDLEA operatives on 25th November 2024 along Numan- Yola road with 500.800kg skunk, a strain of cannabis, concealed in Toyota vehicle with a fake presidency number plate.
They were later arraigned before Justice Bala Usman 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.
