The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos and Ogun states has sentenced six drug traffickers to 156 years imprisonment for offences bordering on drug dealing, transportation, and conspiracy to transport illicit substances filed against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Among the convicts is a 27-year-old drug dealer, Ahmed Abdulsabur, who was arrested by the NDLEA operatives in 2022 and prosecuted in charge number FHC/AB/20C/2022 at the Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

Delivering judgement on the six counts charge brought against Abdulsabur, Justice Abdulmalik convicted and sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment on each count, bringing the total number of his jail term to 60 years.

In a similar ruling, Justice Abdulmalik also sentenced another 32-year-old drug dealer, Olumide Elegbede, to 20 years jail term; 10 years for each of the two counts charge brought against him in charge number: FHC/AB/128C/2I.

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According to a statement issued on Tuesday, March 21 by the NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the judge ruled that the years of imprisonment in both cases will run concurrently.

At the Federal High Court in Lagos, where four drug dealers (Okechukwu Umeh, Lanre Adebayo, Adigun Adeshina, and Emmanuel Omijeh) were arraigned on three counts in charge number FHC/L/87c/2023, the presiding judge, Justice Akintayo Aluko, on Thursday,  March 16, convicted and sentenced each of them to five years on count one; seven years each on counts two and three, bringing 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 Loud variant of cannabis on the day of their arrest, Sunday 22nd January 2023 along Lagos/ Ibadan expressway.

“The court also granted the final forfeiture of N3 million offered as a bribe by the convicts to NDLEA officers.

“The drugs concealed with ‘take away’ food packs in 19 big cartons were seized in the white Ford bus heading to Port Harcourt, Rivers State along Lagos-Ibadan expressway at 2:35 a.m. on Sunday 22nd January.

“The convicts: Okechukwu Umen, 41; Lanre Adebayo Ismaila, 47; Adeshina Adigun Fatai, 50; and Emmanuel Omijeh, 42, were arrested in connection with the seizure and N3 million offered as bribe kept as part of the exhibits for their prosecution,” the NDLEA spokesperson stated.

The Star