The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has confiscated a multi-million-naira mansion in the Lekki area of Lagos, discovered to be used for the production of methamphetamine by a convicted drug baron, Nzewi Okenwa.
The Agency’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, announced this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
According to Babafemi, the seizure followed the conviction of Okenwa by the Federal High Court in Lagos.
Okenwa, along with his associate, Sunny Ukah, was arrested on July 30 and subsequently charged before the court with a four-count charge.
The court sentenced the two to four and three years imprisonment with the option of N4 million and N3 million fines, respectively, along with community service and the forfeiture of Okenwa’s vehicle.
To prevent Okenwa from benefiting further from his criminal activities, the NDLEA filed a civil forfeiture charge against the building used as a clandestine laboratory at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The court granted an interim forfeiture order that expired on December 6, before the final forfeiture on December 7.
In a separate incident, NDLEA operatives arrested a 75-year-old grandmother, Sekinat Soremekun, in the Oshodi area of Lagos for dealing in illicit drugs.
The woman, in possession of quantities of cannabis and litres of codeine syrup, claimed that her son, Segun (now at large), supplied her with the illicit substances for retail.
Babafemi also mentioned that the NDLEA has intensified the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign in schools, markets, worship, and other public places across the country, conducting lectures against drug abuse in various educational institutions.