A businessman identified as Ajah Johnson Uchenna, and his wife, Rosemary Uchenna, have been sentenced to 22 and a half years’ imprisonment for their involvement in drug trafficking.
The couple was sentenced by Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday, August 4, 2025.
The Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement made available to Thelensng on Tuesday.
Babafemi revealed that the couple was first arrested on June 13 by operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) in Ojo area of the state and transferred to NDLEA along with 277.5kg skunk (a strain of cannabis).
“While they were still being investigated in custody, credible intelligence revealed that the family business was going on in their house. This led to a raid of their home and a packing store where 231kg of same substance was recovered by NDLEA operatives on Tuesday 1st July. They were subsequently arraigned in charge number FHC/L/632C/2025 at the Federal High Court Lagos on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, dealing and storage of 414.2 kilograms of cannabis sativa.
“Delivering his judgement on the case on Monday 4th August, Justice Dipeolu convicted Mrs. Rosemary Uchenna on counts 1, 2, and 3 and sentenced her to 17 years in prison without an option of fine, while her husband Johnson Ajah Uchenna was convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment without option of fine on count 1 and six months in jail on count 4 with an option of ₦1 million fine.
“In addition to the jail terms, the trial judge also ordered the sum of Three Million, Four Hundred and Seven Thousand Naira (₦3,407,000.00) only recovered from the couple as proceeds of crime be forfeited to the Federal Government,” he noted.
Similarly, a Federal High Court in Kano presided by Justice Simon Amobeda has convicted and sentenced a 42-year-old Indian lady, Neetu Neetu to five years imprisonment for importing 72 parcels of heroin factory sealed in wafer wraps and packaged as chocolates, weighing 11 kilograms into Nigeria through the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano.
The class A drug consignment was recovered from Neetu’s luggage after a thorough search, following processed credible intelligence, during an inward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR1431 from Bangkok, Thailand via Vietnam and Doha at the arrival hall of the Kano airport on Friday, March 14, 2025.
She was subsequently arraigned in charge number FHC/KN/CR/65/2025 before Justice Amobeda who eventually sentenced her to 10 years imprisonment on two counts with an option of ₦2 million fine.
A 42-year-old Angolan businessman Mbala Dajou Abuba was also convicted and sentenced to five years in prison by Justice Mohammed Yunusa of the Federal High Court in Kano following his arrest and arraignment by NDLEA for ingesting 120 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.829 kilograms.
Abuba, who is from the Zaire province in Angola was apprehended on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at the screening point of the Kano airport while trying to board Egypt Air flight MS 880 to Istanbul, Turkey via Cairo.
Babafemi further disclosed that the Federal High Court in Enugu has convicted another drug trafficker, Eze Christian Ikenna, on two counts of unlawful trafficking and possession of 11.20 kilograms of cocaine, brought against him by the NDLEA in charge number FHC/EN/CS/9/2023.
He stated that Ikenna was arrested on January 20, 2023 by NDLEA operatives at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, upon arrival from Brazil via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with 11.20 kilograms of cocaine concealed in herbal tea sachets.
The spokesperson added: “He was subsequently arraigned before Justice M. G. Umar of the Federal High Court, Enugu, who eventually sentenced him to three years imprisonment on each count, totalling six years, while the sentence will run concurrently, effective from May 20, 2023.”
Reacting to the convictions, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended the commands of the Agency, their officers and men for handling the various operations professionally.
Marwa also applauded the judiciary for delivering prompt judgements to strengthen the deterrent effect of NDLEA efforts.
He added: “Nothing serves the cause of justice more than when the criminal elements are given long jail terms and made to forfeit all they have acquired through the proceeds of their illicit drug trade, and we’re happy with this kind of judicial pronouncements, which will not only encourage our men to do more but will have long lasting impact on our drug control efforts.”
