A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has
sentenced a serial drug trafficker, Solomon Adegbite, to 15 years in prison
without the option of a fine for trafficking 1.30 kilogrammes of Tramadol.
Adegbite was arrested on July 22, 2025, at the Murtala
Muhammed International Airport while attempting to board a Royal Air Maroc
flight to Italy via Casablanca. He was found to have concealed the prohibited
drug inside a thick winter jacket in a bid to evade security checks.
The case was brought before the court by the National
Drug Law Enforcement Agency, which charged the 41-year-old with multiple counts
related to drug trafficking.
Presiding over the case, Justice Musa Kakaki convicted
Adegbite after he pleaded guilty to the charges. The defendant had previously
been arrested multiple times for drug-related offences, a factor that weighed
heavily in the court’s decision.
During sentencing, the defence counsel pleaded for
leniency, citing the convict’s remorse and family responsibilities. However,
the prosecution opposed the request, arguing that a lighter sentence would
undermine efforts to combat drug trafficking, especially given the defendant’s
history as a repeat offender.
The court subsequently handed down prison terms across
multiple counts, including 15 years each on several major counts, alongside
additional sentences ranging from four to ten years on others.
In addition to the custodial sentence, the court
ordered the forfeiture of the convict’s assets to the Federal Government of
Nigeria. These include his international passport, Italian residence permit,
mobile phone, bank accounts linked to a pharmacy business, and other associated
properties.
The offence is punishable under relevant provisions of
the NDLEA Act, with authorities reiterating their commitment to tackling drug
trafficking and its impact on society.
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