Three kingpins and 16 other offenders have been convicted and sentenced to a total of 302 years in prison for trafficking and dealing in illicit drugs such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis, and opioids. Their conviction follows their arrest and diligent prosecution by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
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 1st and 31st, 2024, based on charges filed against them by the anti-narcotics agency.
One of the three kingpins, 50-year-old Bolanle Lookman Dauda, was arrested in an intelligence-led raid by operatives of a special operations unit of the NDLEA at Ibiye, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, while attempting to cross the land border to deliver a consignment in Ghana on Saturday, May 25th, 2024. At the time of his arrest, 42 blocks of cocaine weighing 47.5 kilograms were found on him. A swift follow-up operation at his residence at Plot 24/25 OPIC Extension, Petedo Road, Agbara, Ogun State, led to the recovery of an additional eight blocks of the same drug weighing 10 kg, bringing the total weight of the cocaine seized from him to 57.5 kilograms.
He was subsequently arraigned before Justice Ambrose Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Lagos, in charge number FHC/L/537C/2024. In his judgment delivered on July 19th, 2024, Justice Allagoa convicted and sentenced him to 21 years’ imprisonment or payment of a N30 million fine.
Another 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 the lethal synthetic opioid fentanyl, weighing 6.480 kg, were recovered from him. The dangerous opioid is 100 times more potent than heroin and is currently responsible for over 70% of overdose deaths, as well as a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal 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 July 4th, 2024, the trial judge convicted Ifeanyi on the two-count charge and sentenced him to 14 years in jail or an option of a N2 million fine.
In his own case, Christian Anyanwu was arrested on Saturday, November 26th, 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. He was subsequently docked before Justice Yellin Bogoro of the Federal High Court, Lagos, and later convicted on July 12th, 2024. In his ruling, the trial judge sentenced Anyanwu to 16 years in jail, four of which are mandatory imprisonment without an option of a fine.
Others who received mandatory imprisonment in July for drug trafficking include Moses Yakubu, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison on July 22nd by Justice Rita Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court, Abuja; Oluosun Okikiola, who was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in jail on July 17th by Justice A.A. Okeke of the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, Ogun State; Justice R.J. Abubakar of the Federal High Court, Makurdi, Benue State, who convicted and sentenced Chanchan Terpase to seven years in prison on July 9th; and Justice C.O. Obiozor of the Federal High Court, Benin, Edo State, who convicted and sentenced Beauty Gani to 30 years in prison or payment of a N8 million fine on July 3rd, 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 their speedy adjudication, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), said the sentencing of the convicts would further strengthen the agency’s drug supply reduction efforts.
