Between January and March 2026, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) convicted 974 people of drug crimes, including 11 well-known drug kingpins who were sentenced to a total of 254 years in prison.
The agency said that the convictions show that they are working harder than ever to break up drug trafficking networks and punish criminals all over the country.
Over the course of three months, convictions go up steadily.
When you look at the numbers, you can see that there were 265 convictions in January, 316 in February, and 393 in March.
Of the 974 people who were found guilty, 899 were men and 75 were women. This shows that the crackdown was widespread across different groups of people.
One of the most serious convictions was that of Adegbite Solomon, a businessman from Italy who is also known as Obama. He was found guilty on 15 counts of drug-related crimes and given a total sentence of 130 years.
On March 18, Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court in Lagos made the decision that the sentences should run at the same time.
The court also took away the convict’s pharmacy license and told him to give up his property, which included pharmacy stores and money in several bank accounts.
Justice Nkenoye Maha of the Federal High Court in Ibadan sentenced Ridwan Animashaun to 25 years in prison for another serious crime.
Animashaun had already been found guilty of a similar crime in 2022.
Rauf Asogba and Seun Olaniyi were also given 17 years in prison for trafficking large amounts of skunk.
Jonathan Nuhu and Idris Yusuf were given 15-year prison sentences, and several other people were given seven-year sentences in different places.
In response to the news, NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa called the convictions a big step forward in Nigeria’s fight against drug abuse and trafficking.
He said, “Getting 974 convictions in just three months shows how determined our officers are.”
“To the 11 kingpins who thought they were untouchable, their 254 years in correctional facilities is a strong reminder that the law has caught up with them.”
Marwa praised the courts for speeding up drug-related cases, saying that quick justice is still very important in stopping criminal groups.
He also praised NDLEA officers for their hard work and asked Nigerians to keep giving them information to help with their work.
He said, “These victories belong to the people who give us the information that helps us do our job.”
The agency said again that it would step up its efforts to catch drug traffickers across the country by taking their assets and prosecuting them.
