By our Crime Reporter
A total of 19 individuals, including three major figures, have been sentenced to a combined 302 years in prison for their involvement in drug trafficking and the distribution of illegal substances, such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis, and opioids.
These convictions were secured following their arrests and rigorous prosecution efforts by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
In a statement issued by NDLEA’s Director of Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Friday in Abuja, it was revealed that the 19 convicted individuals were among 414 drug traffickers and dealers brought to justice by the Federal High Courts in Benue, Bauchi, Edo, Lagos, Ogun, Gombe, and the Federal Capital Territory. The convictions, which occurred between July 1st and 31st, 2024, were based on charges filed by the anti-narcotics agency.
One of the kingpins, Bolanle Lookman Dauda, aged 50, was apprehended in a carefully coordinated raid by NDLEA’s special operations unit along the Lagos-Badagry expressway at Ibiye. He was attempting to cross the border to deliver a consignment in Ghana on May 25th, 2024. Authorities seized 42 blocks of cocaine, weighing 47.5 kilograms, at the time of his arrest. A follow-up search of his residence in Ogun State resulted in the discovery of an additional eight blocks of cocaine, bringing the total to 57.5 kilograms.
Dauda was subsequently charged in the Federal High Court in Lagos before Justice Ambrose Allagoa under charge number FHC/L/537C/2024. On July 19th, 2024, he was sentenced to 21 years in prison, with an alternative option of a ₦30 million fine.
Another key figure, 34-year-old Ikeh Stanley Ifeanyi, was arrested in Lagos Island’s Idumota market with 6.480 kilograms of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid known for its potency, which is responsible for a significant number of overdose deaths in the United States. Ifeanyi was later charged and sentenced to 14 years in prison, or an alternative fine of ₦2 million, by Justice Kehinde Ogundare of the Federal High Court, Lagos.
In a separate case, Christian Anyanwu was arrested on November 26th, 2022, with 1.4 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in custard tins intended for shipment to Brazil via Doha. He was tried before Justice Yellin Bogoro of the Federal High Court, Lagos, and received a 16-year prison sentence on July 12th, 2024, with four years of mandatory imprisonment without the option of a fine.
Additional sentences were handed down throughout July for drug trafficking offenses. Notably, Moses Yakubu was sentenced to 25 years in prison by Justice Rita Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on July 22nd, while Oluosun Okikiola received a 15-year sentence from Justice A.A. Okeke of the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, on July 17th.
Similarly, on July 9th, Justice R.J. Abubakar of the Federal High Court in Makurdi, Benue State, sentenced Chanchan Terpase to seven years in prison, and Justice C.O. Obiozor of the Federal High Court in Benin, Edo State, sentenced Beauty Gani to 30 years in prison or an alternative fine of ₦8 million on July 3rd, 2024.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the efforts of the officers involved in these cases, as well as the judiciary for their swift adjudication. He noted that the sentencing of these individuals represents a significant step forward in the agency’s ongoing efforts to reduce drug supply in the country.
