Federal High Court Sentences Repeat Offender to 15 Years for Extensive Cannabis Trafficking in Kano

Repeat offender Jonathan Nuhu gets 15 years for possessing 116 bags of cannabis in Kano. Read how the NDLEA secured this major conviction.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 18, 2026, 8:47 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Daily Post Nigeria

Judicial Decisiveness in the Fight Against Narcotics

The Federal High Court in Kano has delivered a clear message to high-level drug distributors with the sentencing of 45-year-old Jonathan Nuhu. On March 17, 2026, Justice M.N. Yunusa presided over the conclusion of a three-year legal battle, handing down a 15-year custodial sentence for the illegal possession of cannabis. According to Nana Ismail, the judgment was met with praise from anti-narcotic officials who have tracked Nuhu’s activities across multiple states in Northern Nigeria.

The Wudil Bridge Interception

The case against Nuhu began on July 20, 2023, following a targeted operation by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). Operatives intercepted Nuhu near the Wudil Bridge in Kano State, where a search of his transport led to the recovery of 116 bags of cannabis. Sadiq Muhammad Maigatari, the NDLEA spokesperson in Kano, noted that the sheer volume of the haul indicated Nuhu's role as a significant distributor within the regional drug trade rather than a low-level peddler.

A Pattern of Defiance While on Bail

Perhaps the most striking element of the prosecution’s case was Nuhu’s status as a repeat offender. Investigations revealed that Nuhu had already been sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Federal High Court in Jigawa State in June 2021 for a similar narcotics offense. However, at the time of his 2023 arrest in Kano, he was reportedly out on bail pending an appeal of that initial conviction. This revelation highlighted a persistent attempt to exploit the legal system to continue illicit operations, a move that NDLEA Commander CN D.Y. Lawal stated would no longer go unpunished.