Court Jails Two Drug Dealers After NDLEA Prosecution in Lagos

(High Court. Photo Credit: Daily Nigerian)

Two drug dealers, Momoh Charles and Mohammed Umar, were found guilty of drug-related offenses prosecuted against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and sentenced to jail sentences by Judge Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos.

The two drug dealers were found guilty and jailed on Monday by Justice Faji, who delivered a ruling on two distinct cases against them.

Two men convicted of drug-related offences by a Federal High Court have received separate prison sentences after pleading guilty to charges bordering on unlawful importation and possession of controlled substances.

The first convict, Momoh Charles, was brought before the court in a charge marked FHC/L/766C/2024.

He was convicted and sentenced to four years and six months’ imprisonment for the unlawful importation of 51.25 kilograms of cannabis indica concealed inside a 2015 Hyundai Accent and a 2010 Hyundai Sonata.

The convict had initially pleaded not guilty when arraigned, prompting the prosecution to open its case on May 26, 2025.

During his trial, the prosecutor, Barrister Adekunle Adebajo, who led Barrister C. Izuagba, called two witnesses, Kenneth Babajiya and Patricia Afolabi, while exhibits A to J were tendered.

However, at the resumed hearing on July 20, 2026, after part of the prosecution’s case had been presented, the defendant changed his plea to guilty and was consequently convicted.

In sentencing him, Justice Faji noted that the offence carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment under Section 11(b) of the NDLEA Act.

Applying the sentencing guidelines, the judge fixed a starting point of 10 years because the quantity of drugs constituted a presumptive commercial quantity, although the defendant’s culpability was considered low.

The court increased the sentence by one year because the drugs were concealed in two vehicles, but reduced it by two years after considering the convict’s status as a first-time offender and a certified debilitating medical condition involving alcoholic liver cirrhosis and hepatitis.

Justice Faji further granted the convict a 50 per cent reduction, noting that his guilty plea had saved the court’s time, and finally sentenced him to four years and six months, effective from September 11, 2024.

The judge also ordered the forfeiture of the two Hyundai vehicles to the Federal Government as instrumentalities used in committing the offence.

In the case of the second convict, Muhammed Umar, who was arraigned before the court in a charge numbered FHC/LAG/CR/345/2026, on a three-count charge of unlawful possession of 521 grams of Tramadol 225mg, 64 grams of Diazepam, and 600 grams of Tramadol, he had pleaded guilty upon arraignment on July 2, 2026.

Following his guilty plea, the prosecutor, Barrister M. I. Erondu, called a witness, Ogar Aliyu Muhammed, and reviewed the facts and tendered exhibits before praying the court to convict him.

In sentencing him, Justice Faji held that although the offences are punishable with life imprisonment under Section 11(c) of the NDLEA Act, the quantities involved were classified as presumptive non-commercial quantities, attracting lower culpability under the sentencing guidelines.

Justice Faji also considered Umar’s clean criminal record and early guilty plea, granting him a 50 per cent sentencing rebate, and consequently sentenced him to six months and 15 days’ imprisonment on each of the three counts.

The judge ordered that the three prison terms run concurrently from May 8, 2026, the date he was first remanded in custody.