The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) announced that businessman Johnson Uchenna and his wife, Rosemary Uchenna, have been sentenced to a combined total of 22 and a half years in prison for drug trafficking offenses.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi stated on Tuesday from Abuja that Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court 8 in Lagos delivered the verdict on Monday. The couple was first arrested on June 13 by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) in the Ojo area of Lagos State.
Following their arrest, the couple was handed over to the NDLEA with 277.5 kilograms of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis. Further investigations and intelligence led to a second raid on July 1, where an additional 231 kilograms of cannabis were found at their residence and a nearby storage facility.
The couple faced a four-count charge involving conspiracy, drug dealing, and unlawful possession of 414.2 kilograms of cannabis sativa under case number FHC/L/632C/2025. Justice Dipeolu sentenced Rosemary Uchenna to 17 years in prison without the option of a fine after convicting her on three counts. Johnson Uchenna was sentenced to five years without the option of a fine for one count, and an additional six months with an option of a ₦1 million fine on another.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of ₦3.4 million recovered from the couple as proceeds of crime to the Federal Government.
In related cases, Justice Simon Amobeda of the Federal High Court in Kano sentenced 42-year-old Indian national Neetu Neetu to five years in prison for importing 11 kilograms of heroin disguised as chocolates. She was also fined ₦2 million. Similarly, Angolan businessman Mbala Abuba was sentenced to five years for ingesting cocaine pellets at Kano Airport.
In Enugu, Justice M.G. Umar sentenced Eze Christian Ikenna to six years in prison for smuggling 11.2 kilograms of cocaine concealed in herbal tea sachets from Brazil. The sentence runs concurrently, effective from May 20, 2023.
NDLEA Chairman Brigadier General Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised the agency’s personnel for their efforts in securing these convictions and forfeitures, underscoring their importance in combating drug trafficking networks across Nigeria.
