Two notorious Nigerian drug lords sentenced to life in prison for cocaine trafficking
The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced two notorious drug kingpins: Uwaezuoke Ikenna Christian and Agbo Chidike Prince, to life imprisonment for cocaine trafficking.
The Director of Media and Advocacy at the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, who announced this in a statement on Sunday, April 28, 2024, said the sentences put an end to his years of criminal enterprise of exporting cocaine across continents following his arrest and diligent prosecution by the anti-narcotics agency.
According to the statement, 43-year-old businessman Uwaezuoke's journey to life imprisonment began when he was first arrested by operatives of the NDLEA on March 19, 2022 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, during the release of Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa. , Ethiopia, after he was found to have ingested 100 large packages of cocaine weighing 2.243 kg.
He was subsequently arraigned at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division on charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2022 and was granted bail under certain conditions after pleading not guilty. He later fled, prompting the court to revoke his bail and issue a warrant for his arrest.
In a curious turn of events, Uwaezuoke was again arrested by NDLEA operatives on August 1, 2023, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos, while attempting to export 1,822 kg of cocaine to India through ingestion using a different passport and under a different name , Ilonzeh Kingsley Onyebuchi.
He was again arraigned before Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division, under command number FHC/L/554C/2023. He pleaded guilty to both charges and was convicted and sentenced on October 18, 2023, to a total sentence of seven years in prison or a fine of ₦1,500,000.00. He paid the fine and was transferred to Abuja to face the import case pending against him.
He was arraigned again on March 20, 2024 at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, under docket number FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2022, before Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik, where he pleaded guilty again. Despite his appeal, the court, noting his lack of remorse, the seriousness of his drug-related crimes and the fact that he was a repeat offender, convicted him and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
In the case of Agbo Chidike Prince, aged 42, he was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, during the exit clearance of the Ethiopian Airlines flight to Hong Kong, on October 21, 2023, for ingesting 49 packets of cocaine weighing 998.73 grams.
Following his arraignment before Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, the accused pleaded guilty to one count, which prompted the prosecution to present evidence and review the facts of the case.
Despite the defendant's lawyer's request for an address, the court, observing the nature of the case and the commercial quantity of the drug, emphasized the seriousness of the drug-related crimes, convicted and sentenced the defendant on April 15, 2024 to life imprisonment.
Source: www.lindaikejisblog.com