The National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Friday disclosed that three drug kingpins and 16 other offenders have been convicted and sentenced to a total 302 years in prison for “trafficking and dealing in illicit drugs such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis and opioids.” The convictions followed their arrests and diligent prosecution by the NDLEA. This was contained in statement released Friday by the director of media and advocacy, Femi Babafemi, which indicated that 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) between July 1 and 31 2024, based on charges filed against them by the anti-narcotics agency.
Babafemi stated that 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 border to deliver the consignment in Ghana on Saturday, May 25, 2024. “He was subsequently arraigned before Hon. Justice Ambrose Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Lagos, in charge number FHC/L/537C/2024.
In his judgement delivered on July 19, 2024, Justice Allagoa convicted and sentenced him to 21 years in prison or payment of an option of N30 million fine. “Aanother kingpin who was put behind bars is 34-year-old Ikeh Stanley Ifeanyi, who 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 was later arraigned before Justice Kehinde Ogundare of the Federal High Court Lagos in charge number FHC/L/433C/2024. Delivering his judgement on July 4, 2024, the trial judge convicted Ifeanyi on the two counts charge and sentenced him to 14 years in jail or an option of N2 million fine,” he said. According to him, In his own case, Christian Anyanwu was arrested on November 29, 2022, with 1.
4 kilogrammes of methamphetamine concealed inside custard tins packed among cosmetics and foodstuffs going to Brazil via Doha on a Qatar Airways flight. “He was subsequently docked before Justice Yellin Bogoro of the Federal High Court Lagos, and later convicted on July 12, 2024, and in his ruling, the trial judge sentenced Anyanwu to 16 years in jail. “Others who bagged mandatory imprisonment in July for drug trafficking included: 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 City, Edo state, convicted and sentenced Beauty Gani to 30 years in prison or payment of an option of N8 million fine on uly 3, 2024. While commending 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, the chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NDLEA, Brig.
-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), said the sentencing of the convicts would further give bite to the Agency’s drug supply reduction efforts.
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