Court Convicts Two Men for Cannabis Trafficking to Four Years
On Monday, the Federal High Court in Lagos convicted and sentenced two men, Ugwuja Ejiofor and Okon Christopher, to a combined term of four years and four months’ imprisonment for offences relating to the trafficking of 58.6 kilograms of cannabis sativa (Indian hemp).
Presiding judge, Justice Musa Kakaki, delivered the judgment after both defendants entered guilty pleas to separate charges brought by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Ugwuja Ejiofor (35 years old) was arraigned on a two‑count charge of conspiracy and unlawful importation of 56 kilograms of cannabis sativa. The prosecution alleged that Ejiofor, alongside an accomplice identified as Sammy (still at large), conspired to import the substance from Accra, Ghana into Nigeria on February 19, 2026, without lawful authority.
Okon Christopher (37 years old) faced a one‑count charge of unlawful dealing in 2.6 kilograms of cannabis sativa, following his arrest on May 30, 2026, at Ladipo Canal, Mushin, Lagos.
The NDLEA prosecutor, Peter Ekuri, submitted that the offences contravened Sections 14(a), 11(a), and 11(c) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. He reviewed the facts, tendered exhibits, and urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly.
Counsel for the convicts, G.U. Okaka and Chief Lilian Omotunde, pleaded for leniency, stressing that their clients were first‑time offenders with no prior criminal records.
In his ruling, Justice Kakaki convicted both men on the strength of their guilty pleas and the prosecution’s evidence. He sentenced Ugwuja Ejiofor to two years’ imprisonment on each of the two counts, with an option of a ₦10 million fine in total while Okon Christopher to four months’ imprisonment, with an option of a ₦300,000 fine.
