11 drug kingpins bag 254 years as NDLEA secures 974 convictions in Q1

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency secured 974 drug offender convictions between January and March 2026, including 11 high-profile drug kingpins sentenced to a combined 254 years in prison. NDLEA Chairman Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) called it a turning point in Nigeria’s drug war.

The heaviest sentence went to Italy-based businessman Adegbite Solomon, alias “Obama,” who got 130 years after conviction on all 15 counts before Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court in Lagos. The court also revoked his pharmacy licence and forfeited his pharmacy stores and bank account funds to the Federal Government.

Another kingpin, 32-year-old Ridwan Animashaun, was arraigned before Justice Nkenoye Evelyn Maha of the Federal High Court. The NDLEA has been targeting supply chains rather than just street-level dealers, and the Q1 numbers show that shift paying off.

Of the 974 convicted, 899 were male and 75 female. Convictions climbed steadily: 265 in January, 316 in February, 393 in March. Marwa credited expedited trials and stronger cooperation with the judiciary for the upward trend.

Marwa said the speed of convictions matters. “Swift and decisive justice” is what dismantles drug networks that have operated with impunity for years, he argued. The NDLEA has also stepped up asset forfeiture and prosecution of traffickers’ accomplices, going after kingpins’ wallets and freedom rather than just their foot soldiers.

Sources: Guardian Nigeria, Daily Post Nigeria, Punch Nigeria