Story by Iyiola Ayomide
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State has sentenced four drug kingpins to various jail terms totalling 28 years with hard labour, over the trafficking of 2,139.55kg of cocaine.
Operatives of a special operations unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in an operation on Sunday, September 18, 2022 raided a house located at 6 Olukuola crescent, Solebo Estate, Ikorodu, Lagos, where 2.1 tons of cocaine were seized. This was the largest singular cocaine seizure in the history of Nigeria’s anti-narcotic operations.
The drug kingpins were picked up from hotels and their hideouts in different parts of Lagos between the night of Sunday, September 18 and Monday, September 19, 2022.
The convicts including Soji Jubril Oke, 71; Wasiu Akinade, 55; Emmanuel Arinze Chukwu, 67; and Kelvin Christopher Smith, 44, a Jamaican, were all charged with six counts bordering on conspiracy to form and operate a drug trafficking organization (DTO); management and financing of a DTO; importation and possession of 2,139.55kg of cocaine, among others.
The trial of the fifth suspect, Oguntolure Sunday, arraigned along with them is still ongoing in court.
However, after over two years of prosecution, the trial judge, Justice Yellim Bogoro, handed the Jamaican, Kelvin Christopher Smith four years imprisonment with hard labour; Emmanuel Arinze Chukwu got a total of 16 years; Soji Jubril Oke got five years with hard labour and Wasiu Akinade three years with hard labour.
The trial judge however gave the convicts varying options of fine with the exception of one of them who will serve his full jail term without an option of fine.
They were also to forfeit a grey coloured Toyota Tacoma SUV marked AAA-734HT registered in the name of Emmanuel Chukwu; $50,000:00 USD (Fifty Thousand US Dollars) belonging to Chukwu; N55,099,509.50 (Fifty-Five Million, Ninety-Nine Thousand, Five Hundred and Nine Naira, Fifty Kobo only) also belonging to Chukwu; sum of N9,003,168.06 (Nine Million Three Thousand, One Hundred and Sixty Eight Naira Six Kobo only) belonging to Wasiu Akinade and N3,052,295.20 (Three Million, Fifty Two Thousand, Two Hundred and Ninety Five Naira Twenty Kobo only), also belonging to Akinade.
According to Femi Babafemi, Director of NDLEA Media and Advocacy, the Agency is also involved in another suit marked FHC/L/MISC/672/2024 and filed before Justice Bogoro on December 9, 2024 after an initial interim forfeiture order, secured the final forfeiture of two houses linked to members of the drug cartel.
The trial court said: “That an Order of final forfeiture and confiscation is granted in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria, Landed Property/House Number 6 Olokunola Street, Sholebo Estate, Ikorodu Lagos, Lagos State, as contained in Exhibit NDLEA 2A, 2B, and 2C attached to this application used for the storage and concealment of 2,139.55kg (more than two tons) Cocaine, an illicit substance similar to Heroin and LSD.
“That an order of final forfeiture and confiscation is granted in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria, Landed Property/House Number J9, Road 3, Close 1, Victoria Garden City (VGC) Estate, Lagos, Lagos State, as contained in Exhibit NDLEA 3 attached to this application reasonably believed to be bought with proceeds derived from trafficking in illicit drug substances (proceeds of crime) as in relief 1 of this Motion.
“That an Order is granted directing the sale or disposal by any other means provided by law of the forfeited House/Landed Property by the Applicant and the payment of the proceeds therefrom to the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
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