19 convicts face 302 years in prison for drug trafficking

Three major drug kingpins, along with 16 other offenders, have been convicted and sentenced to a cumulative 302 years in prison for trafficking and dealing in illicit drugs such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis, and opioids.

This was disclosed in a statement released yesterday by Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy for the NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja. Babafemi noted that the convictions followed the arrest and diligent prosecution of the individuals by the agency.

According to the statement, these 19 individuals are among 414 drug traffickers and dealers convicted by the Federal High Court in various locations, including Benue, Bauchi, Edo, Lagos, Ogun, Gombe, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, between July 1 and 31, 2024. The convictions were based on charges filed against them by the anti-narcotics agency.

One of the three kingpins, 50-year-old Bolanle Lookman Dauda, was arrested during an intelligence-led operation by NDLEA operatives at Ibiye, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway. Dauda was attempting to cross the border to deliver a consignment in Ghana on Saturday, May 25, 2024, when he was apprehended.

“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 kilograms, bringing the total weight of the cocaine seized from him to 57.5 kilograms,” the statement read.

Dauda was subsequently arraigned before Hon. Justice Ambrose Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Lagos, under charge number FHC/L/537C/2024. On July 19, 2024, Justice Allagoa sentenced him to 21 years in prison or the option of paying a N30 million fine.

The second kingpin, 34-year-old Ikeh Stanley Ifeanyi, was arrested at the popular Idumota market on Lagos Island. Authorities recovered 1,100 ampoules of the lethal synthetic opioid fentanyl, weighing 6.480 kilograms, from him. Fentanyl, a dangerous opioid 100 times more potent than heroin, is currently responsible for over 70% of overdose deaths and is a major contributor to fatal and non-fatal overdoses in the United States.

Ifeanyi was later arraigned before Justice Kehinde Ogundare of the Federal High Court, Lagos, under charge number FHC/L/433C/2024. On July 4, 2024, Justice Ogundare convicted him on two counts and sentenced him to 14 years in prison or a N2 million fine.

In the third case, Christian Anyanwu was arrested on November 26, 2022, with 1.4 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed inside custard tins packed among cosmetics and foodstuffs bound for Brazil via Doha on a Qatar Airways flight. He was later brought before Justice Yellin Bogoro of the Federal High Court, Lagos, and convicted on July 12, 2024. The judge sentenced Anyanwu to 16 years in prison, with four years being mandatory imprisonment without the option of a fine.

Others convicted in July for drug trafficking include Moses Yakubu, who received a 25-year prison sentence on July 22 from Justice Rita Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court, Abuja; Oluosun Okikiola, sentenced to 15 years in prison on July 17 by Justice A. A Okeke of the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, Ogun State; Chanchan Terpase, sentenced to seven years in prison on July 9 by Justice R.J Abubakar of the Federal High Court, Makurdi, Benue State; and Beauty Gani, sentenced to 30 years in prison or a N8 million fine on July 3, 2024, by Justice C.O. Obiozor of the Federal High Court, Benin, Edo State.

While commending the officers and men involved in the arrests and prosecutions, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer Brig-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) stated that the sentencing of these convicts would further strengthen the agency’s efforts to reduce drug supply.