SATURDAY, 16th October, 2021: The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has filed an appeal at the appellate court against the judgement by a trial judge that gave drug convicts an option to pay N700,000 fine to running their sentences.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the spokesperson for the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, The Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd.) gave this directive when Justice A.C. Obiozor sentenced 5 defendants who were in possession of 183.5 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa to 15 years imprisonement, but also gave the convicts an option of paying a N700,000 fine on all the counts.
The convicts, Mike Omoarukhe, a drug dealer, his manager and three other workers were charged by the NDLEA in a five-count charge with Ref No FHC/B/107c/2021 bordering on possession of 183.5 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa, conspiracy and cultivation of 22 hectares of cannabis farms, and were sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment on each of the five counts, which will run concurrently by Justice A.C. Obiozor in a Federal High Court in Benin City, Edo State.
According to the statement from NDLEA, “The NDLEA operatives had on July 1, 2021 stormed the Ughieudu forest, Uhunwonde LGA of Edo State, where six persons: Elijah John; Friday Emma; Itoro Emmanuel; Daniel Emmanuel; Udom Etok and Abraham Monday Thompson were arrested with 50kg cannabis.”
“A follow up operation in the Ughieudu forest on July 3, 2021, led to the arrest of Emmanuel Ekpeyoung and the total destruction of three cannabis farms with a combined size of 22.210421 hectares and seizure of 133. 5kg cannabis.
“After weeks of manhunt for the owner of the farms, the 36-year-old Omoarukhe was later arrested at a drinking joint in Irrua, after which they were all charged, except two of them; Udom Etok and Abraham Monday Thompson who were discovered to be minors.”