NDLEA Secures 15-year Prison Sentence For Kano Trafficker

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has secured the conviction of a suspected drug trafficker, Jonathan Nuhu, who was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Kano for unlawful possession of cannabis sativa.

The Kano Strategic Command of the agency disclosed this in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Sadiq Muhammad Maigatari.

According to the statement, Justice M.N. Yunusa of the Federal High Court No. 2, Kano, delivered the judgment on March 17, 2026, sentencing the 45-year-old native of Kanke Village in Plateau State.

Maigatari said Nuhu was arrested by NDLEA operatives on July 20, 2023, near Wudil Bridge in Wudil Local Government Area of Kano State, where 116 bags of cannabis sativa were recovered from him.

“He was promptly charged and arraigned before the court. After three years of diligent investigation and prosecution, the court found him guilty and imposed a 15-year custodial sentence,” the statement read.

The agency further revealed that the convict had a prior record, having earlier been sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Jigawa State on June 22, 2021, for a similar offence. He was, however, on bail pending appeal in that case when he was arrested for the fresh offence in Kano.

Investigations by the NDLEA linked Nuhu to a wider criminal network involved in the transportation and distribution of cannabis across northern Nigeria.

The Kano Command, led by Commander D.Y. Lawal, commended its operatives and legal team for their persistence in securing the conviction.

“This judgment reinforces our resolve to pursue drug traffickers relentlessly, including those who continue criminal activities while on bail,” Lawal said.

The NDLEA reiterated its commitment to tracking, apprehending, and prosecuting drug offenders in line with the directive of its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa.

“The Kano Command will continue to track, apprehend, and prosecute members of criminal networks until they are brought to justice,” the statement added.

The court ordered that the sentence takes effect from the date of judgment.