Immigration officer, three others arraigned for drug trafficking

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arraigned a senior immigration officer, Gbenga Akomolafe, along with three others, for drug trafficking. Akomolafe, who is currently stationed at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport in Lagos, was charged with trafficking eight kilograms of Methamphetamine and 7.60 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa. The other defendants, Babatunde Olufemi, Nwadozie Amaechi, and Nwosu Cyril, are accused of being members of a hard drug syndicate.

The defendants faced nine counts, including conspiracy, unlawful possession, import, and dealing in the prohibited substances. According to the prosecution counsel, the defendants were arrested on May 21, 2024, while attempting to smuggle the drugs out of the airport. The prosecutor also revealed that the defendants conspired with individuals based in South Africa to commit the alleged offenses.

While Olufemi, Amaechi, and Cyril pleaded guilty, Akomolafe denied the charges and pleaded not guilty to all counts. Akomolafe’s lawyer requested bail, and the court granted him bail in the sum of N10m, with one surety who must be a Civil Servant of an Assistant Director cadre in the employment of Lagos State or the Federal Government.

The judge convicted Olufemi, Amaechi, and Cyril based on their guilty plea and sentenced them to four years on each count. The convicts were also ordered to pay a fine of N2m on each count, with the sentence and fine to run concurrently.