Cocaine Trafficking: Two Drug Kingpins Sentenced to Life Imprisonment

*Outgoing ATBU VC recommends tests for students, lecturers

Michael Olugbode in Abuja and Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi  

Two notorious drug kingpins, Uwaezuoke Ikenna and Agbo Chidike have been sentenced to life imprisonments for drug trafficking offences.
According to a statement by the spokesman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Femi Babafemi, the two criminals would now spend the rest of their lives in jail.
“It brings an end to their years of criminal enterprise of exporting cocaine across continents following their arrest and diligent prosecution by NDLEA,” Babafemi stressed.

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

Uwaezuoke was subsequently arraigned at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division in charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2022 and was granted bail on certain conditions after he pleaded not guilty. He thereafter absconded, leading the court to revoke his bail and issue an arrest warrant against him.
“In a curious twist, Uwaezuoke was again arrested by NDLEA operatives on  August 1, 2023, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos while attempting to export 1.822 kilogrammes of cocaine to India through ingestion using a different passport and under a different name, Ilonzeh Onyebuchi.

“He was again arraigned before Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division in charge number FHC/L/554C/2023. He pleaded guilty to the two counts charge and was convicted and sentenced on  October 18, 2023 to a total term of seven years of imprisonment or a fine of N1, 500,000.00. He paid the fine and was transferred to Abuja to face the importation case pending against him.

“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, noting his lack of remorse, the seriousness of drug-related offences and the fact that he is a repeated offender, convicted and sentenced him to life imprisonment,” he stated.

In the case of 42-year-old Agbo Chidike Prince, he was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja during the outward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines flight to Hong Kong on  October 21, 2023 for ingesting 49 wraps of cocaine weighing 998.73 grammes.
“Upon his arraignment before Justice 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 plea of allocutus by the defendant’s counsel, the court, noting the nature of the case and the commercial quantity of the drug, emphasised the seriousness of drug-related offences, convicted and sentenced the defendant on  April 15, 2024 to life imprisonment,” Babafemi added.
Meanwhile, NDLEA officers at the Gate C Departure Hall of the Lagos airport last Friday arrested a passenger, Yahaya  Oturah, while attempting to export 4,000 pills of tramadol 225mg to Malpensa, Italy on an Ethiopian Airline flight.
The psychoactive substance was found concealed in women wears and granulated melon packed in the suspect’s backpack and another bag containing food items.

In his statement, Oturah who is a frequent flyer confessed he was hired to courier the drug for 700 Euros on successful delivery of the consignment in Italy.
In Bayelsa, NDLEA operatives last Wednesday arrested 28-year-old Jennifer Iliya at Amarata area of Yenagoa for producing and distributing cakes laced with illicit drugs especially cannabis sativa.

At the time of her arrest, substantial number of the drugged cakes weighing 1.5 kilogrammes were recovered from her. A 20-year-old hair stylist, Josephine Odunu and a dispatch rider, Edesemi Ikporo, 30, had been arrested on Sunday 10th March by NDLEA operatives for in Yenagoa for a similar offence.
Two suspects: Joseph Dadik, 47, and Bensha Yari, 32, were arrested with 24,180 ampoules of pentazocine injection weighing 135.5 kilogrammes at Sabon Tasha, Kaduna, while Adamu Umar, 18, was nabbed with 20.7 kilogrammes cannabis when his house in Shuware area of Mubi, Adamawa state was raided on Friday 26th April.

In another incident, no less than 310.7 kilogrammes cannabis was recovered last  Thursday when NDLEA operatives raided parts of Mushin in Lagos state. While 300 kilogrammes was seized at Olatunji Street, Mushin, 10.7 kilogrammes of same substance was retrieved from two suspects: Tijani Wasiu and Suleiman Aisha at Anifowose, Mushin.

A suspect, Stanley Chukwudi, 43, was arrested with 5,900 ampoules of pentazocine injection at Sabon Gari area of Kano State last Thursday and a couple, Fredrick Odion, 53, and Gladys Odion, 52, were nabbed with 50 kilogrammes cannabis at Iruekpen, Esan West local government area, Edo state by NDLEA officers last Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the outgoing Vice Chancellor of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, Prof Muhammad Abdulazeez has made a  call for drug tests for both university students and the academic staff in order to ascertain their mental health conditions to sanitise the education system.

Abdulazeez made the call Friday while delivering his valedictory speech to the Senate of the University held at the Senate Building, Gubi Campus, Bauchi.

“If the students are to be subjected to drug test to determine their mental health status, nothing is wrong if the lecturers too are subjected to the same test. That is the only way to check excesses in the university system,” he stated.

The outgoing VC expressed confidence that if this is done, sanity will be brought back to the university campuses across the country which will in turn promote academic excellence and sanctity in line with the objective of establishing the university system.

“I have indeed, by the grace of the Almighty, played my own part in our collective effort towards improving academic excellence in the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University as its vice chancellor. I promoted academic excellence.

“The modest achievements we have recorded in the areas of infrastructural development, academic content development and community services could not have been possible without the support of all stakeholders in the system,” he added.

He announced that the University Senate had elected Prof. Sani Kunya to take over from him as the Acting Vice-Chancellor pending to election of a substantive one.

“This election received the blessing of the federal government. Prof. Sani  Kunya is currently the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics). While I take my exit today, I wish my incoming successor a fruitful tenure,” he stressed.

In his acceptance speech, Kunya expressed gratitude to the Senate of the University for finding him worthy of the honour and to the federal government  for the confirmation of their freewill.

“I want to assure you that your valuable confidence in me will not be disappointing. I shall do everything within my capability to build on the legacies of my predecessors in terms of maintaining and improving academic excellence,” he assured.

Noting that the world is evolving and competition is heightening, he explained that the school cannot afford to lag behind, especially now.

“The fast development in Artificial Intelligence is about to dominate the global sphere. Universities are the bedrock of these changes. We must strive to keep in pace with this modern trend in order to survive our acquired excellence,” he explained.