Man Remanded for Drug Export Offences
By Wolimoh Abdulmateen
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke sitting at the Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered that Uche Ezeh be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre after he admitted to exporting cocaine and cannabis.
He will remain in custody until December 12, 2025, when the court will review the facts of the case and sentence him. Ezeh was arraigned on a four-count charge filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The charges relate to the export of 4.40 kilograms of cocaine and 11.50 kilograms of cannabis sativa.
Before the arraignment, the prosecution applied to replace another man, Ekeocha Anayo Nelson, who had previously been on trial for the same offence.
Prosecuting counsel Abu Ibrahim explained that Ekeocha’s discharge became necessary following the arrest of the “main drug dealer,” Ezeh. Justice Aneke granted the request and discharged Ekeocha.
After the substitution, Ezeh’s lawyer, P. U. Okenyi, did not oppose the reading of the new charges. Ezeh pleaded guilty to all four counts.
According to the NDLEA, Ezeh arranged for Ekeocha to export 4.40 kilograms of cocaine on November 5, 2024, with the drugs hidden inside food items at the NAHCO Export Shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja. The agency said Ezeh also attempted to export the same quantity through the same facility.
The NDLEA further alleged that on May 12, 2025, Ezeh arranged for 11.50 kilograms of cannabis sativa to be exported in packs of plantain chips and that he also attempted to export the same amount on his own.
The offences are said to violate sections of the NDLEA Act dealing with drug trafficking and unlawful exportation.