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Two Notorious Drug Kingpins Sentenced To Life Imprisonment Over Cocaine Trafficking

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SuspectUwaezuoke Ikenna and Agbo Chidike, two well-known drug kingpins, have been sentenced to life in prison for drug trafficking.

According to Femi Babafemi, spokesman for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the two criminals will now spend the rest of their lives in prison, “putting an end to their years of criminal enterprise of exporting cocaine across continents following their arrest and diligent prosecution by NDLEA.”

Babafemi stated that 43-year-old businessman Uwaezuoke, his journey to a lifetime in prison began when he was arrested by NDLEA operatives on March 19, 2022, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja during the inward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, after he was found to have ingested 100 big wraps of cocaine weighing 2.243 kilogrammes.

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Uwaezuoke was then arraigned at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division in charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2022 and granted bail on certain conditions after pleading not guilty. He later fled, prompting the court to revoke his bail and issue an arrest warrant against him.

“In a strange twist, Uwaezuoke was arrested again by NDLEA operatives on August 1, 2023, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos while attempting to export 1.822 kilogrammes of cocaine to India via ingestion using a different passport and a different name, Ilonzeh Onyebuchi.

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“He was arraigned again before Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division, on charge number FHC/L/554C/2023. On October 18, 2023, he was sentenced to seven years in prison or a fine of ₦1,500,000.00 after pleading guilty to two counts. After paying the fine, he was transferred to Abuja to face the pending importation case.

“He was re-arraigned on March 20, 2024, at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court in charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2022 before Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik, where he pleaded guilty again. Despite his plea, the court convicted and sentenced him to life in prison, citing his lack of remorse, the seriousness of his drug-related offences, and the fact that he was a repeat offender.
Agbo Chidike Prince, 42, was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on October 21, 2023, during the outward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Hong Kong for ingesting 49 wraps of cocaine weighing 998.73 grammes.

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“During his arraignment before Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, the defendant pleaded guilty to the one-count charge, prompting the prosecution to present evidence and review the facts of the case.”
Despite the defendant’s counsel’s allocated plea, the court, taking into account the nature of the case and the commercial quantity of the drug, emphasised the gravity of drug-related offences and convicted and sentenced the defendant to life imprisonment on April 15, 2024.”

Meanwhile, NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport’s Gate C Departure Hall arrested a passenger, Yahaya Oturah, last Friday while attempting to export 4,000 tramadol 225mg pills to Malpensa, Italy on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.

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The psychoactive substance was discovered concealed in women’s clothing, as well as granulated melon packed in the suspect’s backpack and another bag containing food. In his statement, Oturah, a frequent flyer, admitted that he was hired to courier the drug for 700 Euros upon successful delivery in Italy.

Last Wednesday, NDLEA agents arrested 28-year-old Jennifer Iliya in the Amarata area of Yenagoa for manufacturing and distributing cakes laced with illegal drugs, particularly cannabis sativa. A significant number of drugged cakes weighing 1.5 kilogrammes were recovered from her during her arrest. On Sunday, March 10th, NDLEA operatives arrested a 20-year-old hair stylist, Josephine Odunu, and a dispatch rider, Edesemi Ikporo, 30, in Yenagoa for a similar offence.

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Two suspects, Joseph Dadik, 47, and Bensha Yari, 32, were arrested with 24,180 ampoules of pentazocine injection weighing 135.5 kilogrammes in Sabon Tasha, Kaduna, while Adamu Umar, 18, was apprehended with 20.7 kilogrammes cannabis when his house in the Shuware area of Mubi, Adamawa state, was raided on Friday, April 26th.

In another incident, 310.7 kilogrammes of cannabis were discovered last Thursday when NDLEA agents raided parts of Mushin in Lagos state. While 300 kilogrammes were seized at Olatunji Street, Mushin, 10.7 kilogrammes of the same substance were recovered from two suspects: Tijani Wasiu & Suleiman Aisha
at Anifowose in Mushin.

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Stanley Chukwudi, 43, was arrested with 5,900 ampoules of pentazocine injection in the Sabon Gari area of Kano State last Thursday, and Fredrick Odion, 53, and Gladys Odion, 52, were apprehended with 50 kilogrammes of cannabis in Iruekpen, Esan West local government area, Edo state, last Wednesday.

Babafemi stated that the agency’s various commands across the country have continued the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign with the same zeal in the last week.

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Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd), Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, praised the officers and men of the Agency’s Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services for their diligent prosecution of the Uwazuoke and Agbo cases, saying the success rate of cases prosecuted by the agency has shown that there is no escape route for those involved in the illicit trade of drug trafficking.

He also commended the MMIA, Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Edo, Adamawa, and Bayelsa Commands, as well as their counterparts in all commands across the country, for stepping up their drug supply and demand reduction efforts.

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