Court jails wanted drug baron, 10 others in Edo

A Federal High Court sitting in Benin City, Edo State, has sentenced a wanted drug baron, Alaba Monday (49) and 10 others to a cumulative 79 years in correctional facilities. The court, presided over by Justice B. O. Quadiri and Justice Prof. C. O. Obiozor, sentenced the convicts—nine males and two females—over drug-related offences preferred […]

A Federal High Court sitting in Benin City, Edo State, has sentenced a wanted drug baron, Alaba Monday (49) and 10 others to a cumulative 79 years in correctional facilities.

The court, presided over by Justice B. O. Quadiri and Justice Prof. C. O. Obiozor, sentenced the convicts—nine males and two females—over drug-related offences preferred against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The other convicts include Okpiaesi Abraham (52), Atari Isreal (45) Emmanuel Nwosu (46), Samuel Samson (26), Daniel Peter (20), Margaret Amuludu (40); Abel Edah (31), Bella Fedrick (29), Lucky Aligbe (50) and Benson Uponi (65).

The wanted drug baron, Alaba Monday, who was caught with 115 kilograms of cannabis, received a 15-year sentence with a fine option of N3 million.

Another convict, Lucky Aligbe, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the unlawful possession of drugs, including cannabis, tramadol, Swinol, and Diazepam. Emmanuel Nwosu received 15 years for possessing 276 grams of cannabis.

The remaining convicts were also sentenced to various jail terms, ranging from two to three years in correction centres, with the total cumulative sentence amounting to 79 years.

The court, however, gave all the convicts the option of paying various sums of money as fines.

Reacting to the development, the NDLEA Edo State Commander, Dr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to a drug-free society, sending a clear message to offenders that the rule of law will prevail in the fight against narcotics.