Three kingpins and 16 other offenders have been convicted and sentenced to 302 years in prison for trafficking and dealing in illicit drugs such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis and opioids following their arrest and diligent prosecution by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Its Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said 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 – 31st 2024 based on charges filed against them by the anti-narcotics agency.
He noted that one of the three kingpins, 50-year-old Bolanle 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 land border to deliver the consignment in Ghana on Saturday 25th May 2024.
Babafemi explained that at the point of his arrest, 42 blocks of cocaine weighing 47.5 kilograms were found on him.
He added that a swift follow up operation in his residence at Plot 24/25 OPIC extension, Petedo road, Agbara, Ogun state, led to the recovery of additional eight blocks of the same drug weighing 10kg, bringing the total weight of the cocaine seized from him to 57.5 kilograms.
Babafemi stressed that 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 19th July 2024, Justice Allagoa convicted and sentenced him to 21 years imprisonment or payment of an option of N30 million fine.
Babafemi said another kingpin who was put behind bars is 34-year-old Ikeh 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 noted that the dangerous opioid is 100 times more potent than heroin and currently responsible for over 70 per cent overdose deaths as well as a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the US.
Babafemi added that 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 4th July 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.
Babafemi said: “In his own case, Christian Anyanwu was arrested on Saturday 26th November, 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 12th July 2024. In his ruling, the trial judge sentenced Anyanwu to 16 years in jail, four of which is a mandatory imprisonment without an option of fine.”
Others who bagged mandatory imprisonment in July for drug trafficking include: Moses Yakubu sentenced to 25 years in prison on 22nd July by Justice Rita Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court Abuja; Oluosun Okikiola who was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in jail on 17th July 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 9th July while Justice C.O. Obiozor of the Federal High Court, Benin, Edo state convicted and sentenced Beauty Gani to 30 years in prison or payment of an option of N8million fine on 3rd July 2024.