In a significant legal proceeding, the Federal High Court in Abuja has delivered a verdict of life imprisonment against two notorious drug kingpins: Uwaezuoke Ikenna Christian and Agbo Chidike Prince, for their involvement in cocaine trafficking.
The announcement came from Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media & Advocacy of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), through a statement released on Sunday, April 28, 2024. This ruling marks the culmination of their extensive criminal activities, which involved the illicit exportation of cocaine across continents. The NDLEA’s relentless efforts in arresting and prosecuting these individuals have finally brought them to justice.
Uwaezuoke Ikenna Christian, a 43-year-old businessman, began his journey towards a life behind bars when he was apprehended by NDLEA operatives at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on March 19, 2022. He was discovered to have ingested 100 big wraps of cocaine weighing 2.243 kilograms. Despite being granted bail after pleading not guilty, he absconded, prompting the court to revoke his bail and issue an arrest warrant.
In a twist of fate, Uwaezuoke was captured again by NDLEA operatives on August 1, 2023, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos, while attempting to export 1.822 kilograms of cocaine to India. This time, he used a different passport and assumed a different identity, Ilonzeh Kingsley Onyebuchi. He was convicted on October 18, 2023, to seven years’ imprisonment or a fine of ₦1,500,000.00, which he paid before being transferred to Abuja to face the pending importation case against him.
Re-arraigned on March 20, 2024, before Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, Uwaezuoke pleaded guilty again. Despite his plea, the court, considering his lack of remorse, the gravity of drug-related offenses, and his status as a repeat offender, sentenced him to life imprisonment.
In the case of Agbo Chidike Prince, aged 42, he was apprehended at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on October 21, 2023, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Hong Kong. He had ingested 49 wraps of cocaine weighing 998.73 grams.
Upon his arraignment before Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, Agbo Chidike Prince pleaded guilty to the charges. Despite pleas from his counsel, the court, considering the gravity of the offense and the commercial quantity of the drug, sentenced him to life imprisonment on April 15, 2024.
