A businessman, Ajah Johnson Uchenna, and his wife, Rosemary Uchenna, were on Monday, August 4, 2025, sentenced to a total of 22 and a half years imprisonment by Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court 8 in Lagos for dealing in illicit drugs.

The couple was first arrested on Friday, June 13, 2025, by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) in the Ojo area of Lagos State and handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) along with 277.5kg of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis.

While still in custody and under investigation, credible intelligence revealed that the illicit drug business was still ongoing in their residence. This led to another raid by NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, July 1, during which an additional 231kg of the same substance was recovered from their home and a storage facility.

Subsequently, the couple was arraigned at the Federal High Court in Lagos under charge number FHC/L/632C/2025, on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, dealing, and unlawful storage of 414.2 kilograms of cannabis sativa.

Delivering judgment on Monday, August 4, Justice Dipeolu convicted Rosemary Uchenna on counts 1, 2, and 3, and sentenced her to 17 years imprisonment without the option of a fine. Her husband, Johnson Ajah Uchenna, was convicted on count 1 and sentenced to five years imprisonment without an option of a fine, and on count 4, he received an additional six months with an option of a N1 million fine.

The judge also ordered the forfeiture of the sum of N3,407,000.00 recovered from the couple as proceeds of crime to the Federal Government.

In a related development, a Federal High Court in Kano, presided over by Justice Simon Amobeda, has sentenced a 42-year-old Indian national, Neetu Neetu, to five years imprisonment for importing 72 parcels of heroin into Nigeria. The narcotics, factory-sealed in wafer wraps and disguised as chocolates, weighed 11 kilograms.

She was arrested at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) on Friday, March 14, 2025, upon arrival on Qatar Airways flight QR1431 from Bangkok, Thailand, via Vietnam and Doha. Following a thorough search based on credible intelligence, the drugs were discovered in her luggage. She was arraigned in charge number FHC/KN/CR/65/2025 and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on two counts, with an option of a N2 million fine.

Similarly, a 42-year-old Angolan businessman, Mbala Dajou Abuba, was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison by Justice Mohammed Yunusa of the Federal High Court in Kano. Abuba was arrested on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at the Kano airport while attempting to board an EgyptAir flight to Istanbul, Turkey via Cairo. He had ingested 120 pellets of cocaine, weighing 1.829 kilograms.

Also, in Enugu, another drug trafficker, Eze Christian Ikenna, was convicted by Justice M. G. Umar of the Federal High Court on two counts of unlawful trafficking and possession of 11.2 kilograms of cocaine. Eze was arrested on January 20, 2023, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, upon arrival from Brazil via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with the drugs concealed in herbal tea sachets. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment on each count, to run concurrently from May 20, 2023.

In yet another significant breakthrough, the NDLEA has secured the final forfeiture of a multi-billion naira, 80-room hotel and lounge in Victoria Island, Lagos, linked to a notorious drug cartel, along with several other assets.

The property, located at No. 16 Waziri Ibrahim Street, off Elsie Femi Pearse Road, was raided between Friday, April 25 and Saturday, April 26, 2025. After several hours of thorough search, NDLEA operatives recovered 589 bags of Canadian Loud — a potent cannabis strain — weighing 417.3 kilograms and valued at N1,042,500,000 in street value.

Other forfeited assets include: a Toyota Sienna (KJA 79 HJ), Volkswagen delivery van (AAA 525 JE), KIA Cerato (BDG 860 GQ), black Land Cruiser Prado (AKD 472 DZ), red Dodge Grand Caravan (APP 847 YF), white Mazda bus (KTU 241 AAA), Mercedes-Benz truck (ASB 500 XY), gold Toyota Corolla (EKY 295 JT), ash-coloured Sienna minibus, 84 television sets, 70 air conditioners, and 13 new refrigerators.

Justice Ibrahim Ahmad Kala of the Federal High Court granted the final forfeiture orders on Friday, July 18, 2025, following the filing of motion number FHC/L/MISC/447/2025 by the NDLEA.

Reacting to the convictions and forfeitures, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the agency's commands and operatives involved in the investigations and prosecutions, as well as the judiciary for the swift and firm judgments.

“Nothing serves the cause of justice more than when criminal elements are given long jail terms and made to forfeit all they have acquired through the proceeds of their illicit drug trade. We are pleased with these judicial pronouncements. They not only encourage our men to do more but will have a long-lasting impact on our national drug control efforts,” Marwa stated.