In a significant development, two infamous drug kingpins, Uwaezuoke Ikenna Christian and Agbo Chidike Prince, have been given life sentences by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). This marks the end of their extensive criminal operations involving the export of cocaine across multiple continents.
Uwaezuoke’s legal troubles began when he was apprehended on March 19, 2022, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. He was caught with 100 big wraps of cocaine weighing 2.243 kilograms that he had ingested after arriving on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Despite initially pleading not guilty and being granted bail, Uwaezuoke fled, prompting the court to revoke his bail and issue a warrant for his arrest. He was later rearrested on August 1, 2023, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos while trying to smuggle 1.822 kilograms of cocaine to India using a different passport and alias, Ilonzeh Kingsley Onyebuchi.
After pleading guilty to the charges, Uwaezuoke was sentenced on October 18, 2023, to seven years in prison or a fine of ₦1,500,000.00. Subsequently, he faced additional charges in Abuja and was sentenced to life imprisonment on March 20, 2024, by Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik.
Similarly, 42-year-old Agbo Chidike Prince was apprehended at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on October 21, 2023, for ingesting 49 wraps of cocaine weighing 998.73 grams. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life imprisonment on April 15, 2024, by Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik.
Meanwhile, NDLEA officers arrested Yahaya Danjuma Oturah at the Lagos airport for attempting to smuggle 4,000 pills of tramadol to Italy concealed in women’s clothing and food items. In Bayelsa, Jennifer Iliya was caught producing and distributing cakes laced with illicit drugs.
Several other individuals were also apprehended in different states for drug-related offenses, including the possession and distribution of narcotics. NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa commended the diligent prosecution efforts of the agency and emphasized the zero-tolerance policy towards drug trafficking.