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By Alexandra Umeh

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced that three prominent drug kingpins and 16 other offenders have been sentenced to a combined total of 302 years in prison.

According to NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Friday, the convictions stem from their involvement in trafficking and dealing various illicit drugs, including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis, and opioids.

Babafemi revealed that these 19 individuals are among 414 drug traffickers and dealers convicted by the Federal High Court across several states—including Benue, Bauchi, Edo, Lagos, Ogun, Gombe, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja—between July 1st and 31st, 2024.

The convictions were the result of rigorous investigations and legal proceedings conducted by the NDLEA.

“Three drug kingpins and 16 other offenders have been convicted and sentenced to a total of Three Hundred and Two years in prison for trafficking and dealing in illicit drugs such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis and opioids following their arrest and diligent prosecution by the NDLEA,” he said.

“The 19 convicts top the list of 414 drug traffickers and dealers convicted by the Federal High Court in Benue, Bauchi, Edo, Lagos, Ogun, Gombe and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abuja between July 1st – 31st, 2024, based on charges filed against them by the anti-narcotics agency.”

Notably, one of the kingpins, Bolanle Dauda, was apprehended on May 25, 2024, during an NDLEA-led raid at Ibiye, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

Dauda, a 50-year-old, was caught attempting to transport a large consignment of drugs across the border into Ghana.

At the time of his arrest, authorities seized 42 blocks of cocaine weighing 47.5 kilograms from him.

A subsequent search of his residence in Agbara, Ogun State, uncovered an additional 10 kilograms of cocaine, bringing the total amount seized to 57.5 kilograms.

Dauda was later arraigned before Hon. Justice Ambrose Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos.

“At the point of his arrest, 42 blocks of cocaine weighing 47.5 kilograms were found on him. A swift follow-up operation in his residence at Plot 24/25 OPIC extension, Petedo road, Agbara, Ogun state, led to the recovery of an additional eight blocks of the same drug weighing 10kg, bringing the total weight of the cocaine seized from him to 57.5 kilograms,” Babafemi said.

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