A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced Freeman Charles Ogbonna to 25 years in prison for drug trafficking. The sentencing occurred three months after Ogbonna was found with 80 wraps of cocaine, which he ingested, following his arrest by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
Ogbonna was detained on March 31st while attempting to board a flight to Delhi, India, via Doha on Qatar Airways. He was traveling with a Liberian international passport under the name Carr Bismark. A body scan at the airport revealed the presence of illicit drugs in his system.
Upon further investigation, his true identity as Freeman Charles Ogbonna was uncovered. During his time in NDLEA custody, Ogbonna exhibited signs of distress. He began to vomit and excrete the wraps of cocaine he had ingested, a process that lasted over four days and resulted in the expulsion of 80 wraps of cocaine weighing 889 grams.
Ogbonna confessed that he was recruited by a relative and was promised N300,000 for successfully transporting the drugs to India. He was given the drugs to swallow at a hotel in the Ipodo area of Ikeja.
He was subsequently charged under section 20(1)(b) and punishable under section 20(2)(a) of the NDLEA Act Cap N30 LFN 2004. Justice Dipeolu Isaac delivered the judgment, sentencing Ogbonna to 25 years in prison without an option of fine.
Brig Gen Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, praised the MMIA Command and the prosecution team for their swift and thorough handling of the case. He highlighted the judiciary’s vital role in combating substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria and emphasized that Ogbonna’s conviction serves as a stern warning to other drug traffickers.
