Crime
Courts Sentence Four Drug Traffickers To 95 Years In Prison
The Federal High Courts in Lagos and Yola, Adamawa State, have sentenced four notorious drug traffickers to a total of 95 years in prison after convicting them of smuggling illicit drugs valued at over N4.6 billion.
The convicts — Ogbuji Christian Ifeanyi, Iloduba Augustine Chinonye, Shuaibu Nuhu Isa (a.k.a Don), and Zidon Zurga — also had their luxury vehicles forfeited to the Federal Government, according to a statement issued on Friday by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) spokesperson, Femi Babafemi.
Ogbuji Christian Ifeanyi, 48, was arrested on September 18, 2024, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while attempting to smuggle 817 wraps of cocaine, weighing 19.40kg, with a street value of N4.65 billion.
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This was not his first brush with the law. Babafemi revealed that Ogbuji had previously been apprehended at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on May 10, 2023, after arriving from Uganda via Ethiopia.
During that arrest, he was found to have ingested 93 pellets of cocaine, with a total weight of 1.986kg.
“He was subsequently arraigned before Federal High Court 12, Abuja, presided over by Hon. Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon, in charge number: FHC/ABJ/CR/192/2023, and convicted on July 13, 2023.
“Ogbuji was sentenced to two years imprisonment, with an option of paying a N3 million fine, which he paid and was set free,” Babafemi stated.
However, less than 16 months later, he was caught again—this time with an even larger consignment of cocaine.
Following his re-arrest, he was arraigned before Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court, Lagos, in charge number FHC/L/845C, on January 16, 2025.
On February 28, 2025, he was sentenced to five years imprisonment on one count, with an option of a N7 million fine, and 10 years imprisonment on another count, without the option of a fine.
“He was eventually sentenced on 28th February to five years imprisonment on count one with an option of seven million naira fine and 10 years imprisonment on count two without an option of fine.
“In the event that he failed to pay the N7 million fine, the judge ruled that the convict will serve a total of 15 years in jail consecutively. The court ordered the forfeiture of monetary exhibits and other items found on him at the time of his arrest,” Babafemi said.
Iloduba Augustine Chinonye, 51, was arrested at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, on December 31, 2021, after being found with 58 wraps of cocaine.
“While in transit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he excreted 48 wraps, while the remaining 10 wraps were expelled under NDLEA custody,” Babafemi stated.
After three years of prosecution, he was convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, with five years on each count, running concurrently from March 5, 2025.
Meanwhile, in Adamawa State, Shuaibu Nuhu Isa (a.k.a Don) and Zidon Zurga were apprehended on November 25, 2024, along the Numan-Yola Road, while smuggling 500.8kg of skunk, a highly potent strain of cannabis.
They had hidden the illicit drugs inside a Toyota Hilux (Lagos NT 829 AAA) and a Prado SUV with a fake presidency number plate (01B-266 FG).
Following their trial before Justice Bala Usman of the Federal High Court, Yola, both men were convicted on February 7, 2025, and sentenced to 35 years imprisonment each on two counts.
“The court also ordered the interim forfeiture of the two jeeps used in trafficking the illicit drug consignment,” Babafemi said.
The NDLEA reiterated its determination to dismantle drug trafficking networks across Nigeria, warning that those involved in illicit drug trade will face the full weight of the law.
Former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has strongly denied allegations that his properties are proceeds of crime, as he challenges the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in court over an interim forfeiture order.
Malami, in a sworn affidavit before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, maintained that all assets linked to him were lawfully acquired through years of legal practice, business investments, loans, and other legitimate sources of income.
He faulted the EFCC’s position, insisting that the agency failed to present credible evidence connecting any of the properties to unlawful activity.
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According to him, the claims were based on speculation rather than facts.
“There is no document before the court showing these properties were acquired with proceeds of crime,” he argued.
The former Minister of Justice also accused the anti-graft agency of inflating the value of his assets, alleging that properties worth hundreds of millions of naira were wrongly presented as being worth billions.
He further stated that independent valuations had shown significantly lower and more accurate figures.
Malami explained that his wealth was accumulated over decades through legal practice, investments in sectors such as hospitality, agriculture, and education, as well as loans from commercial banks, asset sales, and earnings from book-related activities.
He added that all his income had been duly declared to relevant government agencies.
He also alleged procedural violations, claiming that operatives of the EFCC acted outside their legal authority by seizing properties and evicting occupants without a final forfeiture order.
The EFCC, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, had earlier obtained an interim forfeiture order over the assets, linking them to suspected proceeds of unlawful activities.
However, Malami is urging the court to dismiss the order and restore his properties.
A South African court has sentenced opposition leader Julius Malema to five years in prison following his conviction for illegal possession and public discharge of a firearm.
Malema, who leads the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), was found guilty on multiple counts linked to a 2018 incident during the party’s fifth anniversary celebration in the Eastern Cape.
At the event, he was captured in a widely circulated video firing a semi-automatic rifle into the air.
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According to court proceedings, Malema argued that the act was merely celebratory.
However, the court rejected his defence, ruling that the action was not spontaneous but deliberate.
The presiding magistrate described the incident as premeditated and emphasized that Malema’s position as a prominent political figure placed a higher burden of responsibility on him.
The charges against him included unlawful possession of a firearm, discharging a weapon in public, and reckless endangerment.
The court held that such actions posed a serious threat to public safety and could not be excused under any circumstances.
Despite the five-year sentence, Malema was granted leave to appeal, meaning he will not be taken into custody immediately.
He walked free from the courtroom and was greeted by hundreds of supporters who had gathered outside.
Addressing the crowd, Malema alleged that the ruling was politically motivated, claiming that certain forces were attempting to silence him.
His supporters responded with chants and songs, showing continued loyalty to the outspoken politician.
Malema, a former youth leader of the African National Congress (ANC), was expelled after a fallout with former President Jacob Zuma.
He later founded the EFF, which has since grown into one of South Africa’s most influential opposition parties.
Reacting to the development, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula suggested that the case reflected broader political tensions.
However, lobby group AfriForum, which initiated the case after the video surfaced, insisted the prosecution was based strictly on enforcing the law.
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has issued a warrant of arrest against former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, and a Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali, over their alleged involvement in a multi-million naira fraud case.
The arrest order was issued on Thursday, April 16, 2026, by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the FCT High Court after the two defendants failed to appear in court for their scheduled arraignment.
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The duo, alongside a third defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, are facing a 21-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The charges border on alleged criminal breach of trust, abuse of office, fraudulent contract awards, and the diversion of public funds totaling $1.3 million and N746,574,303.
At Thursday’s proceedings, only Mohammed was present in court.
According to the EFCC, the alleged offences occurred between May 2021 and September 2022 in Abuja.
The anti-graft agency accused Farouq and Alkali of misappropriating funds meant to be refunded to the ministry by a private firm, Visual ICT Limited.
The money was reportedly linked to excess payments under the National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO) for the validation of Rapid Response Register beneficiaries.
The prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, told the court that although the charges were filed on December 15, 2025, the two defendants could not initially be served.
He added that despite assurances from their legal representatives, they failed to present themselves in court.
Jacobs further revealed that Farouq had earlier requested the release of her passport for a medical trip to Saudi Arabia in 2024 but has yet to return it or provide any medical report to justify her absence.
“My lord, since that passport was released to her, she has not returned it to the Commission, and no medical report has been submitted,” Jacobs stated, questioning the validity of the health claims presented by her counsel.
Counsel to the first defendant, Abdul Ibrahim, attributed his client’s absence to ill health and attempted to tender an affidavit to that effect, but the court rejected the application.
The EFCC also sought to amend an earlier ex-parte motion to focus on the first and second defendants and requested a bench warrant to compel their appearance.
The prosecution supported its request with an affidavit stating that both defendants had been granted administrative bail but failed to report back.
In response, the defence counsel pleaded with the court to grant a six-week extension to produce Farouq in court.
However, in his ruling, Justice Onwuegbuzie granted the EFCC’s application and issued a warrant for the arrest of the two defendants.
The case was subsequently adjourned to May 18, 2026, for arraignment and commencement of trial.
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