The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brigadier General Buba Marwa has directed the agency’s legal department to immediately file an appeal against the judgement of the Federal High Court, Benin who gave an option of N700,000 to a hard drug convict sentenced to 75 years improvement.
A drug dealer, Mike Omoarukhe, his manager and three other workers on his cannabis Sativa farms were sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment by Justice (Professor) Chuka Obiozor of the Federal High Court, Benin City, Edo State.
The convicts were charged in July by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, in a five count charge with Reference Number FHC/B/107c/2021 bothering on illegal possession of 183.5 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa, conspiracy and cultivation of 22 hectares of cannabis farms.
A statement issued on Friday by the spokesperson for the NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, said, Justice A.C. Obiozor sentenced the defendants to 15 years on each of the five counts, which will run concurrently.
The judge however gave the convicts an option of N700,000 fine on all the counts.
The Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. General Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd.), has directed that immediate appeal be filed at the appellate court against the option of N700,000 fine granted the convicts by the trial judge.
“The NDLEA operatives had on July 1, 2021 stormed the Ughieudu forest, Uhunwonde LGA of Edo State, where six persons: Elijah John; Friday Emma; Itoro Emmanuel; Daniel Emmanuel; Udom Etok and Abraham Monday Thompson were arrested with 50kg cannabis.
”Babafemi said, “A follow up operation in the Ughieudu forest on July 3, 2021, led to the arrest of Emmanuel Ekpeyoung and the total destruction of three cannabis farms with a combined size of 22.210421 hectares and seizure of 133. 5kg cannabis.
“After weeks of manhunt for the owner of the farms, the 36-year-old Omoarukhe was later arrested at a drinking joint in Irrua, after which they were all charged, except two of them; Udom Etok and Abraham Monday Thompson who were discovered to be minors.”
