Lagos: The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully secured the conviction and sentencing of several individuals involved in drug trafficking across Nigeria. Among those sentenced are a businessman, Johnson Uchenna, and his wife, Rosemary Uchenna, who received a combined 22 and a half years imprisonment for dealing in illicit drugs.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, reported that Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court 8 in Lagos delivered the judgment. The couple was initially apprehended on June 13 by the Department of State Services (DSS) in the Ojo area of Lagos State and handed over to the NDLEA with 277.5kg of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis. Further investigation led to a raid on July 1, resulting in the recovery of an additional 231kg of the same substance.
The Uchennas were arraigned on a four-count charge related to conspiracy, dealing, and unlawful storage of 414.2kg of cannabis sativa. Justice Dipeolu sentenced Mrs. Rosemary Uchenna to 17 years in prison without an option of fine, while Mr. Johnson Uchenna received a five-year sentence and an additional six months with an option of a N1 million fine. The court also ordered the forfeiture of N3.4 million, identified as proceeds of crime, to the Federal Government.
In a separate case at a Federal High Court in Kano, Justice Simon Amobeda sentenced a 42-year-old Indian national, Neetu Neetu, to five years imprisonment for drug trafficking. Babafemi noted that Neetu was caught attempting to import 72 parcels of heroin disguised as chocolates into Nigeria, weighing 11 kilograms. Her arrest occurred on March 14 at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport during the inward clearance of a Qatar Airways flight from Bangkok, Thailand.
Similarly, Justice Mohammed Yunusa of another Federal High Court in Kano sentenced Angolan businessman Mbala Abuba to five years in prison. Abuba was arrested for ingesting 120 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.829 kilograms while trying to board a flight to Istanbul.
In Enugu, Justice M. G. Umar of the Federal High Court convicted Eze Ikenna of unlawful trafficking and possession of 11.20 kilograms of cocaine. The NDLEA arrested Ikenna at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport upon his arrival from Brazil. He received a concurrent six-year sentence effective from May 20, 2023.
Reacting to these convictions, NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, commended the agency’s officers and men for their diligent efforts in handling the cases.