SIX drug traffickers have been sentenced to a total of 156 years imprisonment for offences bordering on drug dealing, transportation and conspiracy to transport illicit substances.
The cases were filed against the convicts by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
This was disclosed in a statement released on Tuesday, March 21 by the spokesperson of the agency, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, one of the victims, 27-year-old Ahmed Abdulsabur, 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 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,” the agency stated.
In a similar ruling, Justice Abdulmalik also sentenced another dealer, Olumide Elegbede, 32, to 20 years jail term, ten years for each of the two counts of the charge brought against him in charge number: FHC/AB/128C/2I.
The judge ruled that the years of imprisonment in both cases will run concurrently.
At the Federal High Court in Lagos, the quartet of Okechukwu Umeh, Lanre Adebayo, Adigun Adeshina and Emmanuel Omijeh were arraigned on three counts in charge numbered 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 the Loud variant of cannabis on the day of their arrest, Sunday 22nd January 2023 along Lagos/ Ibadan expressway,” the NDLEA stated.
The NDLEA added that the court also granted the final forfeiture of N3 million offered as a bribe by the convicts to its officers.
The agency said the drugs concealed in ‘take away’ food packs in 19 big cartons were seized in the white Ford bus heading to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway at 2:35 am on Sunday, January 22.
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