The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos and Ogun state has sentenced six drug traffickers to a total of 156 years imprisonment for offences bordering on drug dealing, transportation, and conspiracy to transport illicit substances filed against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.
Worse hit is a 27-year-old drug dealer, Ahmed Abdulsabur, who was arrested in 2022 by NDLEA operatives and prosecuted in charge number FHC/AB/20C/2022 at the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, presided over by Hon. Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik.
Delivering her judgment on the six counts charge brought against Ahmed, Justice Abdulmalik convicted and sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment on each count, bringing the total number of his in jail term to 60.
In a similar ruling, Justice Abdulmalik also sentenced another dealer, Olumide Elegbede, 32, to 20 years jail term; 10 years for each of the two counts charge brought against him in charge number: FHC/AB/128C/2I.
The judge ruled that the years of imprisonment in both cases would run concurrently.
At the Federal High Court in Lagos, where the quartet of: Okechukwu Umeh; Lanre Adebayo; Adigun Adeshina and Emmanuel Omijeh were arraigned on three counts in charge number FHC/L/87c/2023, the trial judge, Justice Akintayo Aluko, on Thursday 16th March convicted and sentenced each of them to five years on count one; seven years each on counts two and three.
This brings the total number of years for each of them to 19 years jail term and the four of them to 76 years imprisonment.
While the judge ruled that the sentences should run concurrently, he also gave the four convicts the option of paying N20 million in lieu of the jail terms.
This is in addition to granting the application by the NDLEA for the final forfeiture of a white colour Ford bus with registration number: PHC 315 ZT, used in conveying 532. 8 kilograms of Loud variant of cannabis on the day of their arrest, Sunday 22nd January 2023 along Lagos/ Ibadan expressway.
The court also granted the final forfeiture of N3, 000, 000 offered as bribe by the convicts to NDLEA officers.
The drugs concealed with take away food packs in 19 big cartons were seized in the white Ford bus heading to Port Harcourt, Rivers State along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway at 2:35am on Sunday 22nd Jan.
The convicts – Okechukwu Umen, 41; Lanre Adebayo Ismaila, 47; Adeshina Adigun Fatai, 50; and Emmanuel Omijeh, 42 – were arrested in connection with the seizure and N3,000,000 offered as bribe kept as part of the exhibits for their prosecution.
Meanwhile, The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arraigned a 38-year-old unemployed man, Sagir Umah, for alleged illegal deal in hard drugs.
The defendant is charged on four-counts but he pleaded not guilty before a Federal High Court in Lagos State.
In the charge signed by NDLEA counsel, Mrs N.J. Mamza, the agency said that the defendant committed the offences on March 10 at Boundary Market, Ajegunle, Lagos State.
The NDLEA alleged that the defendant illegally dealt in Tramadol, Rophynol and Diazepam.
All the drugs are said to be psychotropic substances similar to cocaine and heroin, and are prohibited.
The alleged offences contravene the provisions of Section 11(c) of the NDLEA Act of 2004.
The Act provides for life imprisonment on conviction.
No date has been given for arraignment of the defendant.
