A passenger en route to Delhi, India, named Freeman Charles Ogbonna, received a sentence of twenty-five (25) years imprisonment by Justice Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos, with no option of a fine.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) disclosed this information through a statement issued by Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy, on Tuesday. Babafemi highlighted that the sentencing occurred three months after Ogbonna expelled eighty (80) wraps of cocaine through vomiting and excretion following his apprehension by NDLEA operatives at the screening point of terminal 2 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja Lagos.
Ogbonna was apprehended on Sunday, March 31, while attempting to board a flight to Delhi, India via Doha on Qatar Airways, using a Liberian international passport under the name: Carr Bismark. He underwent a body scan which detected the presence of illegal substances in his system.
Upon further investigation, his true identity as Freeman Charles Ogbonna was revealed, and he was subsequently placed under observation in NDLEA custody, where he began to display signs of discomfort.
Evidently overwhelmed by the amount of illicit substances in his system and another substance consumed to prevent excretion, the suspect started to retch before expelling wraps of cocaine he had ingested almost simultaneously.
The suspect confessed that a relative recruited him into drug trafficking, leading him to pass a total of 80 wraps of cocaine weighing 889 grams through his mouth and anus over a four-day period.
Despite the grave danger that jeopardized his life, Ogbonna claimed he was instructed to ingest the drugs at a hotel in the Ipodo area of Ikeja, with a promise of N300,000 cash upon successful delivery of the consignment in India.
Subsequently, Ogbonna was brought before Justice Dipeolu Deinde Isaac of the Federal High Court in Lagos and charged under section 20(1)(b) of the NDLEA Act Cap N30 LFN 2004, leading to his sentencing of 25 years imprisonment without the option of a fine on July 1, 2024.
In response to this development, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the MMIA Command and the prosecution team for their swift and diligent handling of the case.
Marwa emphasized that the judiciary plays a crucial role in the collective effort to combat substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria. He further emphasized that Ogbonna’s conviction would serve as a stern warning to others involved in similar activities, indicating that there would be no refuge for drug traffickers and their accomplices.
