Two Drug Kingpins, Emami and Akpomuai, Convicted and Sentenced to 10 Years Imprisonment

…Their conviction shows NDLEA strategies are working, says Marwa

Two notorious drug kingpins — 37-year-old Ajetsibo Emami, popularly known as Warri Kinsman, and 51-year-old Solomon Akpomuai — have been convicted and sentenced to a combined 10 years imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Lagos.

Emami was arrested in Ikeja, Lagos, on Saturday, 28th June 2025, after NDLEA operatives dismantled his drug trafficking network in a three-day operation that also led to the arrest of three other suspects. From his syndicate, operatives recovered 24 jumbo bags containing 681 pouches of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 414.2 kilograms.

The bust followed credible intelligence that Emami was attempting to move the shipment to the Lekki area of Lagos for onward distribution across the state and beyond. He was subsequently arraigned before Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court 8, Lagos, in charge number FHC/L/636C/2025 on one count of dealing in illicit drugs.

In a ruling delivered on Monday, 18th August 2025, Justice Dipeolu convicted Emami and sentenced him to six years in prison, with an option of a ₦50 million fine in lieu of jail.

In a separate case, Akpomuai was first arrested by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service along the Shagamu–Ijebu-Ode Expressway on 3rd June 2025 with 2,197.8 kilograms of skunk, another strain of cannabis. He was handed over to the NDLEA on 16th June and arraigned under charge number FHC/L/635C/2025 before Justice Dipeolu for trafficking illicit drugs in large commercial quantities. The judge convicted and sentenced him to four years imprisonment, with an option of a ₦50 million fine.

Reacting to the convictions, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), said the development was proof that Nigeria would, sooner rather than later, surmount the menace of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking, thanks to the positive results of the agency’s balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction.

He commended the judiciary, NDLEA officers involved in the investigation and prosecution, as well as other stakeholders, for their commitment to achieving a drug-free Nigeria.

Femi Babafemi

Director, Media & Advocacy

NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja

Tuesday, 19th August 2025