Two drug kingpins — Uwaezuoke Christian and Agbo Chidike Prince — have been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Abuja for “their years of criminal enterprise of exporting cocaine across continents”.
In a statement on Sunday, the Director of Media and Advocacy of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr. Femi Babafemi said that Uwaezuoke was initially arrested in 2022 for ingesting cocaine wraps and was later caught again trying to smuggle drugs to India. Meanwhile, Agbo was arrested at the Abuja airport for attempting to export cocaine to Hong Kong.
The statement partly read: “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, Ethiopia, after he was found to have ingested 100 big wraps of cocaine weighing 2.243 kilograms.
“He 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”.
Babafemi added that Uwaezuoke was arrested again in August 2023, when he attempted to export 1.822 kilograms of cocaine to India under a different identity, Ilonzeh Kingsley Onyebuchi, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
Following his arrest, he was promptly arraigned before Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court in Lagos, where he pleaded guilty to the charges.
He was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison or a fine of ₦1.5 million, which he paid before being transferred to Abuja to face the importation case pending against him.
“He was re-arraigned on 20th March 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, the statement added.
Forty-two-year-old Prince 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 grams.
Upon his arraignment before Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, the defendant pleaded guilty to the one count charge, where he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment on April 15, 2024
In February, NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier-General Buba Marwa (rtd.) said that at least 15 drug kingpins out of 3,412 drug offenders that were successfully prosecuted by the anti-narcotics agency, and convicted in 2023, collectively bagged 168 years imprisonment.
