After their apprehension and subsequent legal proceedings by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), two infamous drug lords, Uwaezuoke Ikenna Christian and Agbo Chidike Prince, have been sentenced to life imprisonment.
The NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, announced the sentencing through a statement provided to Channels Television on Sunday.
Uwaezuoke, a 43-year-old entrepreneur, began his path to life imprisonment when NDLEA officers arrested him on March 19, 2022, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. He was detained during the inward screening of an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, after being discovered with 100 large packets of cocaine weighing 2.243 kilograms inside his body.
After pleading not guilty, he was charged at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, under case number FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2022, and was released on bail under specific conditions. However, he later fled, prompting the court to cancel his bail and issue a warrant for his arrest.
In an unexpected turn of events, Uwaezuoke was rearrested by NDLEA officials on August 1, 2023, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos. He was caught trying to smuggle 1.822 kilograms of cocaine to India by ingestion, using a different passport and alias, Ilonzeh Kingsley Onyebuchi.
He was once more brought before Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division, under charge number FHC/L/554C/2023. After pleading guilty to the two-count charge, he was convicted and sentenced on 18th October 2023 to either seven years in prison or a fine of ₦1,500,000.00. He opted to pay the fine and was then transferred to Abuja to address the pending importation case.
On 20th March 2024, he faced re-arraignment at the Federal High Court’s Abuja Division, charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2022, before Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik. He entered a guilty plea once again. However, the court, recognizing his repeated offenses and the gravity of drug-related crimes, sentenced him to life imprisonment despite his plea, the statement noted.
Regarding 42-year-old Agbo Chidike Prince, Babafemi reported his arrest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, during the clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Hong Kong on 21st October 2023, after he was found to have ingested 49 wraps of cocaine weighing 998.73 grams.
Brought before Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, the accused admitted guilt to the single charge, leading the prosecution to present evidence and review the case details.
Despite the defense counsel’s plea for leniency, the court, considering the case’s nature and the significant amount of the drug involved, highlighted the severity of drug-related offenses and sentenced the accused to life imprisonment on 15th April 2024.
The NDLEA reported that on Friday, April 26th, at the Lagos airport’s gate C departure hall, its officers arrested a passenger, Yahaya Danjuma Oturah, for attempting to smuggle 4,000 tramadol pills (225mg each) to Malpensa, Italy, on an Ethiopian Airline flight.
The agency added that the psychoactive substance was hidden in women’s clothing and granulated melon within the suspect’s backpack and another bag filled with food items. Oturah, a frequent flyer, admitted in his statement that he was contracted to transport the drug for 700 Euros upon successful delivery in Italy.
In Bayelsa, on Wednesday, April 24th, NDLEA operatives apprehended 28-year-old Jennifer Iliya in the Amarata area of Yenagoa for manufacturing and selling cakes infused with illegal drugs, particularly cannabis sativa. At her arrest, a significant quantity of the drug-laden cakes, totaling 1.5kg, was seized. Additionally, a 20-year-old hairstylist, Josephine Odunu, and a 30-year-old dispatch rider, Edesemi Ikporo, were detained on Sunday, March 10th, in Yenagoa for a similar crime.
Elsewhere, two individuals, Joseph Dadik, 47, and Bensha Yari, 32, were caught with 24,180 ampoules of pentazocine injections, totaling 135.5 kilograms, in Sabon Tasha, Kaduna. Meanwhile, Adamu Umar, 18, was arrested with 20.700kg of cannabis after his residence in the Shuware area of Mubi, Adamawa state, was raided on Friday, April 26th.
On Thursday, 25th April, NDLEA operatives seized over 310.7kg of cannabis during a raid in Mushin, Lagos state. A total of 300kg was confiscated on Olatunji Street, while 10.7kg was recovered from two individuals, Tijani Wasiu and Suleiman Aisha, in Anifowose, Mushin.
Stanley Chukwudi, 43, was apprehended with 5,900 ampoules of pentazocine injection in the Sabon Gari area of Kano State on the same day. Additionally, on Wednesday, 24th April, a couple, Fredrick Odion, 53, and Gladys Odion, 52, were arrested with 50kg of cannabis in Iruekpen, Esan West LGA, Edo state by NDLEA officers.
The agency’s commands nationwide have continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign over the past week. Activities included WADA sensitisation lectures at Federal Government College, Nise, Anambra; Royal Institute of Health Technology, Ifo, Ogun state; Akpugo-Eze High School, Oji-River, Enugu; Modibbo Adama University, Yola, Adamawa; and Jubilee Secondary School, Ore, Ondo state, among others.
The NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services for the diligent prosecution of the Uwazuoke and Agbo cases. He stated that the high success rate of the agency’s prosecutions demonstrates that there is no escape for those engaged in illegal drug trafficking.
He also praised the efforts of the MMIA, Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Edo, Adamawa, and Bayelsa Commands, as well as their counterparts in all other commands across the country, for stepping up their drug supply and demand reduction efforts.
