The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded a major victory in the fight against drug trafficking, with the conviction and sentencing of three kingpins and 16 other offenders.
The perpetrators were found guilty of trafficking and dealing in illicit drugs, including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis, and opioids, upon their arrest. Consequently, they have been sentenced to a total of 302 years in prison.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Agency’s Director, Media & Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi on Friday.
According to the statement, the 19 convicts top the list of 414 drug traffickers and dealers convicted by the Federal High Court in Benue, Bauchi, Edo, Lagos, Ogun, Gombe and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja between July 1 to 31, 2024 based on charges filed against them by the anti-narcotics agency.
The statement reads: “One of the three kingpins, 50-year-old Bolanle Lookman Dauda was arrested in an intelligence-led raid by operatives of a special operation unit in NDLEA at Ibiye, along Lagos-Badagry expressway while attempting to cross the land border to deliver the consignment in Ghana on Saturday 25th May 2024.
“At the point of his arrest, 42 blocks of cocaine weighing 47.5 kilograms were found on him. A swift follow up operation in his residence at Plot 24/25 OPIC extension, Petedo road, Agbara, Ogun State, led to the recovery of additional eight blocks of the same drug weighing 10kg, bringing the total weight of the cocaine seized from him to 57.5 kilograms.
“He was subsequently arraigned before Hon. Justice Ambrose Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Lagos in charge number FHC/L/537C/2024. In his judgment delivered on 19th July 2024, Justice Allagoa convicted and sentenced him to 21 years imprisonment or payment of an option of ₦30 million fine.”
Mr. Babafemi disclosed that another kingpin, Ikeh Stanley Ifeanyi, 34, was arrested at the popular Idumota market in Lagos Island, where no fewer than 1,100 ampoules of lethal synthetic opioid, fentanyl, weighing 6.480kg, were recovered from him.
He explained that the dangerous opioid is 100 times more potent than heroin and currently responsible for over 70% overdose deaths as well as a major contributor to fatal and non-fatal overdoses in the US.
“He was later arraigned before Justice Kehinde Ogundare of the Federal High Court Lagos in charge number FHC/L/433C/2024. Delivering his judgment on 4th July 2024, the trial judge convicted Ifeanyi on the two counts charge and sentenced him to 14 years in jail or an option of ₦2 million fine.”
Similarly, Christian Anyanwu was arrested on Saturday, November, 26, 2022 with 1.4 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed inside custard tins packed among cosmetics and foodstuffs going to Brazil via Doha on a Qatar Airways flight.
The NDLEA Spokesperson stated that he was subsequently arraigned before Justice Yellin Bogoro of the Federal High Court Lagos, and later convicted on July 12, 2024.
He revealed that the trial judge in his ruling sentenced Anyanwu to 16 years in jail, four of which are mandatory imprisonment without an option of fine.
Others who bagged mandatory imprisonment in July for drug trafficking include: Moses Yakubu sentenced to 25 years in prison on July 22 by Justice Rita Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court Abuja; Oluosun Okikiola who was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in jail on July 17 by Justice A. A Okeke of the Federal High Court Abeokuta, Ogun State.
In the same vein, Justice R.J Abubakar of the Federal High Court, Makurdi, Benue State convicted and sentenced Chanchan Terpase to seven years in prison on July 9, while Justice C.O. Obiozor of the Federal High Court, Benin, Edo State convicted and sentenced Beauty Gani to 30 years in prison or payment of an option of ₦8 million fine on July 3, 2024.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa commended the officers and men of the various commands involved in the arrest and prosecution of the cases as well as the judiciary for speedy adjudication.
Gen. Marwa noted that the sentencing of the convicts will further give bite to the drug supply reduction efforts of the Agency.
