- Safiu Kehinde
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has sentenced to notorious drug kingpins, Ajetsibo Emami, popularly known as ‘Warri Kinsman’, and Solomon Akpomuai to a combined 10 years’ imprisonment.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s (NDLEA) spokesperson, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, Emami was arrested in the state’s capital, Ikeja, on the 28th of June 2025 after NDLEA operatives dismantled his drug trafficking network in a three-day operation leading to the arrest of three other suspects.
Recovered from 37-year-old convict’s network were 24 jumbo bags containing 681 pouches of Canadian Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 414.2 kilograms.
According to Babafemi, the bust of Emami’s drug ring followed credible intelligence on his attempt to move the shipment to Lekki area of Lagos, from where it will be distributed to other parts of the state and across the country.
He was subsequently arraigned before Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court 8 Lagos in charge number FHC/L/636C/2025 bordering on dealing in illicit drugs.
In his ruling delivered on Monday, the trial judge convicted Emami on the one count charge filed against him by NDLEA prosecutor, Buhari Shuaibu Abdullahi, and sentenced to six years in prison with an option of N50million fine.
On the other hand, Akpomuai was initially arrested by men of Customs Service along Shagamu-Ijebu-Ode expressway with 2,197.8 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis on 3rd of June 2025.
The 51-year-old convict was reportedly transferred to NDLEA on the 16th of June after which he was arraigned in charge number FHC/L/635C before Justice Dipeolu for trafficking illicit drugs in large commercial quantity.
Also delivering his judgement on the matter, the trial judge convicted and sentenced Akpomuai to four years in prison with an option of N50million fine.
In his remark, the NDLEA Chairman, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) described the conviction of the two drug kingpins as an indication that Nigeria will sooner than later surmount the menace of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
He commended the judiciary, NDLEA officers involved in the investigation and prosecution of the cases as well as other stakeholders for their commitment to the cause of a drug free country.