Five members of various international organized criminal groups (IOCG) who were recently detained by National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) agents in relation to the confiscation of 68.9 kilograms of cocaine and tramadol at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, have been sentenced to a total of 21 years in prison.
The leaders of one of the cartels, Olasupo Michael Oladimeji, Muaezee Ademola Ogunbiyi, and Sola Adegoke, were reportedly taken into custody after 17.9 kilograms of cocaine were found in the export shed of the MMIA Lagos on August 26, 2025, hidden in textile materials and local charms headed for Sydney, Australia.
Femi Babafemi, the spokesperson for NDLEA, revealed this in a statement on Friday.
During the inquiry, a black Range Rover SUV with the license plate RBC 459 EJ was discovered at Adegoke’s home in Ikeja GRA, and 20.5 kilograms of the cannabis strain Canadian Loud were seized in Ogunbiyi’s Lekki home.
On October 30, 2025, Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos, arraigned them on five counts under charge number FHC/L/925C/2025. Subsequently, each of the defendants entered a guilty plea to the allegations against them.
When Justice Kakaki delivered his ruling on October 31st, he sentenced each of them to five years in prison without the possibility of a fine, for a total of fifteen years in prison.
The Range Rover SUV and a Toyota Venza car that were taken from the prisoners during the inquiry were also ordered to be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria by the court.
Similarly, on July 19, 2025, NDLEA agents arrested Obunike Joseph Obichukwu and Uzorchukwu Godspower Chukwurah, two kingpins of another ring, when they discovered 2.60 kg of cocaine and 27.90 kg of tramadol hidden in motor spare parts being transported to Gabon via the Lagos airport.
Following the inquiry, the two were charged with six counts under charge number FHC/L/980C and presented before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court Lagos.
They both entered guilty pleas at their arraignment on Tuesday, November 4. Following a review of the case’s facts, the two defendants were found guilty and given three years in prison or a fine of N2 million each in lieu of jail time. Additionally, the N4 million that Obunike had paid to bribe NDLEA officers was ordered to be forfeited to the federal government.
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