Court sentences India-bound drug trafficker to 25 years imprisonment

Marwa commends judiciary, says no hiding place for barons, traffickers
A Federal High Court, Lagos, has sentenced a Delhi, India-bound drug trafficker, Freeman Charles Ogbonna, to 25 years imprisonment.

The convict vomited and excreted 80 wraps of cocaine, three months ago, after his arrest by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), at the screening point of Terminal II of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos .

Ogbonna was arrested on Sunday , March 31, while attempting to board his flight to Delhi via Doha on Qatar Airways, with a Liberian international passport, bearing the name: Carr Bismark.

He was subjected to a body scan, which tested positive for ingestion of illicit drugs. Preliminary checks revealed his real identity as Freeman Charles Ogbonna. He was subsequently placed under observation in NDLEA’s custody where he started to manifest signs of discomfort.

After a while, Ogbonna began to retch before starting to vomit and excrete wraps of the cocaine he ingested almost simultaneously.

The convict who claimed he was recruited into drug trafficking by one of his relatives eventually passed out 80 wraps of cocaine weighing 889gm through his mouth and anus over a period of four days .

At great risk to his life, Ogbonna said he was given the drugs to swallow at a hotel in the Ipodo area of Ikeja, with the promise of a N300,000 cash reward if he successfully delivered the consignment in India.

He was subsequently arraigned before Justice Dipeolu Deinde Isaac of the Federal High Court, Lagos, in charge number FHC/L/378/2024 for committing an offence contrary to Section 20(1)(b) and punishable under Section 20(2)(a) of the NDLEA Act Cap N30 LFN 2004.

Delivering his judgement on Monday, July 1, Justice Dipeolu sentenced Ogbonna to 25 years in prison without an option of fine.

Reacting, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd) commended the MMIA Command and the prosecution team for a fast and diligent handling of the case, adding that the judiciary remains a strong pillar in the coordinated and concerted effort to curb the scourge of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria.

According to him, Ogbonna’s conviction will send a strong signal to his ilk that there will be no hiding place for drug barons and their mules.