Lagos Couple Jailed 22 Years for Cannabis Trafficking as NDLEA Secures Major Convictions

A couple has been sentenced to a combined 22 and a half years in prison for trafficking cannabis from their residence in Lagos. The Federal High Court in Lagos convicted businessman Ajah Johnson Uchenna and his wife, Rosemary Uchenna, following their arrest and subsequent trial for running a large-scale drug operation.

According to Femi Babafemi, spokesperson for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the couple was initially apprehended on June 13 by the Department of State Services (DSS) in the Ojo area of Lagos. They were found in possession of 277.5kg of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, and handed over to the NDLEA.

Further intelligence gathered during their detention led to another raid on July 1, during which NDLEA operatives recovered an additional 231kg of cannabis from the couple’s residence and a nearby storage facility. In total, the Uchenna couple was charged with conspiracy, dealing, and storage of 414.2kg of cannabis sativa.

Justice Dipeolu, presiding over case number FHC/L/632C/2025, sentenced Rosemary Uchenna to 17 years in prison without the option of a fine, convicting her on three counts. Her husband, Johnson Ajah Uchenna, received five years in prison on one count and six months on another, with the latter carrying an option of a ₦1 million fine. The court also ordered the forfeiture of ₦3,407,000 recovered from the couple as proceeds of crime to the Federal Government.

In a separate case in Kano, the Federal High Court convicted 42-year-old Indian national Neetu Neetu for importing heroin into Nigeria. Justice Simon Amobeda sentenced her to five years in prison after 72 parcels of heroin disguised as chocolates were recovered from her luggage at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on March 14. She was arriving on a Qatar Airways flight from Bangkok via Vietnam and Doha. Neetu was tried under charge number FHC/KN/CR/65/2025 and sentenced to 10 years across two counts with an option of a ₦2 million fine.

Reacting to the court rulings, NDLEA Chairman Buba Marwa praised the efforts of the agency’s officers and welcomed the sentences and asset forfeitures. He stated that such judicial actions affirm the nation’s commitment to drug control and reinforce justice by penalizing offenders and stripping them of illicit gains.