In the first six months of this year, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has secured conviction for 1, 242 drug peddlers. The NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giade, said the agency successfully won the conviction of the drug traffickers at the Federal High Courts.
Giade noted that since drug trafficking was a highly lucrative crime, the punishment must be commensurate. He said: “Drug trafficking is a highly lucrative crime. It is therefore logical that there should be stiffer punishment to serve as deterrent to others.
The NDLEA shall remain committed to its legal policy of making drug traffickers accountable for their criminal acts. Every infringement against the provisions of the Act must be pursued to a logical conclusion.” Most of the convicts, according to him, were sentenced to between three and a half to 15 years imprisonment.
Some notable cases include that of Asirah Onyongha who was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on a two-count charge of cultivating and dealing in hemp in Cross Rivers State. In Nasarawa State, one Chinonso Onuchukwu was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for unlawful dealing in cannabis.
Another convict, Bala Garba, also got 10 years imprisonment for dealing in cannabis in Niger State. In Lagos, Okafor Tochukwu Benjamin was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for attempting to export cocaine.
Onwuka Ichi Ukaeagbu was in addition to three and half years imprisonment made to forfeit $8,800. The NDLEA Head, Media and Publicity, Mitchell Ofoyeju, said the success was contained in the prosecution scorecard of the agency in the first half of this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment