Five members of international drug syndicates have been sentenced to a total of 21 years in prison following their conviction for attempting to export cocaine and opioids through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
In a statement on Friday, the spokesman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Femi Babafemi, said the convicts were arrested in connection with the seizure of 68.9 kilogrammes of cocaine and tramadol bound for Gabon and Australia.
According to Babafemi, the first group — comprising Olasupo Oladimeji, Muaezee Ogunbiyi, and Sola Adegoke — were apprehended on August 26, 2025, after NDLEA officers intercepted 17.9 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in textile materials and local charms en route to Sydney, Australia.
Further investigations led to the recovery of 20.5 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, from Ogunbiyi’s residence in Lekki, and a black Range Rover SUV from Adegoke’s home in Ikeja GRA.
The trio were arraigned before Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on a five-count charge (FHC/L/925C/2025). On October 30, 2025, they pleaded guilty, and a day later, Justice Kakaki sentenced each to five years imprisonment without the option of a fine — totaling 15 years. The court also ordered the forfeiture of the Range Rover SUV and a Toyota Venza recovered during the investigation to the Federal Government.
Similarly, two other drug kingpins, Obunike Obichukwu and Uzorchukwu Chukwurah, were convicted after NDLEA officers intercepted 2.6 kilogrammes of cocaine and 27.9 kilogrammes of tramadol hidden in motor spare parts bound for Gabon on July 19, 2025.
They were arraigned before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Lagos (Charge No. FHC/L/980C/2025), where both pleaded guilty. The judge sentenced each to three years imprisonment or an option of N2 million fine. The court also ordered the forfeiture of N4 million, which Obunike had offered as a bribe to NDLEA officers, to the Federal Government.
