Convicted drug dealer loses two cars, N31.426m to federal government

A Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos, has ordered a drug dealer, Chief Odugwe Azubuike, who is serving a three-year jail term, to forfeit some of his properties and the sum of N31.426 million to the federal government. The forfeiture order came in a judgment in a criminal charge filed against Azubuike by the National […]

A Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos, has ordered a drug dealer, Chief Odugwe Azubuike, who is serving a three-year jail term, to forfeit some of his properties and the sum of N31.426 million to the federal government.

The forfeiture order came in a judgment in a criminal charge filed against Azubuike by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The NDLEA had, in a charge marked FHC/L/122c/10, stated that the accused person unlawfully imported 3.150 kilograms of cocaine into the country through one Oleshi Josephine Otuochima.

The offence, according to the prosecutor, Ichakpa Oigoga, is contrary to and punishable under Section 11(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap. N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

During the convict’s trial in 2010, when he was first arraigned before the court, Oigoga had called two witnesses and tendered many exhibits.

However, midway in the trial, the convict jumped bail. He was, however, rearrested and arraigned for other drug-related offences.

He was convicted and sentenced to three years imprisonment by Justice Saliu Saidu of the same court.

It was while he was serving the three years jail term that he was again rearrested to answer to the former charge, which was amended to one count.

Azubuike pleaded guilty to the charge.

Following his guilty plea, Oigoga told the court that the EFCC also, apart from the drug seized from the convict, recovered the sum of N31.321m and N104,800 from his Ecobank account number 0021934640 and Zenith Bank’s account number 6123005577 respectively.

The prosecutor also informed the court that two vehicles, a Toyota 4Runner registration number HB 452 AAA and a Toyota Sienna with number KS 620 AAA, were recovered from the convict.

He asserted that both the monies and the vehicles were proceeds of illicit drug deals and urged the court to forfeit them to the federal government.

Following the plea of the convict and the submission of the prosecutor, Justice Mohammed Liman upheld the prosecutor’s submission and sentenced the convict to five years imprisonment,

He also ordered that both the monies and vehicles be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.