Six Persons Jailed 141 Years for Drug Trafficking in Edo, Ogun

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Federal High Courts sitting in Benin and Abeokuta have sentenced a 25-year-old woman, Chioma Okocha and five men: Ndubuisi John, Haruna Aliyu, Saddam Abdullahi, Bashir Usman, and Usman Ibrahim to a total of 141 years imprisonment for trafficking in cocaine and cannabis sativa.

A statement by the spokesman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Femi Babafemi said Chioma Okocha was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in jail by Justice AC Obiozor of the Federal High Court, Benin for trafficking 200grams of crack cocaine following her arrest in the Edo state capital on 24th September, 2021 by operatives of the anti-narcotics agency.

She was subsequently arraigned in suit no. FHC/B/136c/2021 and pleaded guilty to a one-count charge when her case came up in court on Monday 15th November.

The judge, in the ruling however granted her the option of paying N2 million fine in lieu of the 15 years jail term effective from 24th September when she was arrested while trying to deliver 200 grammes of crack cocaine to a customer at an eatery in Benin city.

The sentenced five men: Ndubuisi John; Haruna Aliyu; Saddam Abdullahi; Bashir Usman, and Usman Ibrahim were convicted and sentenced to 126 years imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Abeokuta presided over by Justice Ogunremi Omowunmi Oguntoyinbo in suit no. FHC/AB/105c/2021.

The convicts were arrested on 14th of September 2021 along Lagos -Ibadan expressway conveying 46 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 552 kilogrammes in a truck and subsequently charged on three counts of transportation, possession and dealing in the illicit drug.

In her judgment delivered on 9th of November, Justice Oguntoyinbo sentenced the 1st, 2nd and 3rd accused persons to 30 years imprisonment each while the driver of the truck bagged 21 years and the motor boy/driver’s assistant 15 years in jail.

While Ndubuisi, Haruna and Saddam were sentenced to 10 years on each count charge, Bashir got seven years on each count charge and Usman 5 years on each count charge. The jail terms are to run concurrently.