A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has sentenced a serial drug trafficker, Solomon Adegbite, to 15 years’ imprisonment without an option of a fine for trafficking 1.30 kilogrammes of Tramadol 225 mg, a prohibited narcotic substance.

The court, presided over by Justice Musa Kakaki, delivered the sentence on Wednesday after convicting Adegbite on a 15-count charge filed against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Adegbite, a 41-year-old Nigerian resident in Italy, was convicted after he pleaded guilty to the charges.

The NDLEA, through its prosecutor, Juliana Imaobong Iroabuchi, had earlier arraigned the defendant before the court in February 2026, following his arrest over the illicit drug consignment.

He was subsequently remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service pending the review of facts.

Although the matter suffered delays on two occasions after the prosecution informed the court that the exhibits intended to be tendered were not ready, the case eventually proceeded on March 16, 2026.

At the resumed hearing, an NDLEA operative, Okey Emmanuel, reviewed the facts of the case and tendered relevant exhibits before the court.

Following the review, the prosecutor urged the court to convict the defendant based on his guilty plea and the evidence presented.

Justice Kakaki thereafter convicted Adegbite, with no objection raised by his counsel, Augustine Nwagu, and adjourned the matter to March 18, 2026, for sentencing.

At the sentencing hearing, defence counsel Augustine Nwagu pleaded for leniency on behalf of the convict, describing him as a young man with several dependants who rely on him for support.

He told the court that Adegbite was remorseful and had learned from his actions, urging the judge to temper justice with mercy and grant him an option of fine.

However, the NDLEA prosecutor strongly opposed the plea. Iroabuchi argued that granting an option of fine would send the wrong message to society, especially given the devastating impact of hard drugs on victims and communities.

She further told the court that Adegbite was an unrepentant repeat offender, noting that this was allegedly the third time he had been arrested for drug-related offences.

The prosecutor also urged the court to consider the commercial quantity of the seized narcotic.

After listening to both parties, Justice Kakaki sentenced Adegbite to prison terms across 13 of the 15 counts, with the sentences to run as pronounced by the court.

Specifically, the judge sentenced Adegbite to 15 years’ imprisonment on count 1, 15 years’ imprisonment on count 2, 15 years’ imprisonment on count 3, 15 years’ imprisonment on count 4, 15 years’ imprisonment on count 5, 15 years’ imprisonment on count 6, 10 years’ imprisonment on count 7, 4 years’ imprisonment on count 8, 4 years’ imprisonment on count 9, 4 years’ imprisonment on count 10, 4 years’ imprisonment on count 11, 4 years’ imprisonment on count 12, and 10 years’ imprisonment on count 15.

In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered the forfeiture of several items to the Federal Government of Nigeria, including Adegbite’s Italian residence permit, his Nigerian international passport, a Samsung Galaxy A22 mobile phone, his bank accounts linked to Aderevico Pharmacy, and other assets associated with the pharmacy business.

According to the first count of the charge, Adegbite was arrested on July 22, 2025, during the outward clearance of passengers on a Royal Air Maroc flight bound for Italy via Casablanca, Morocco, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

The NDLEA alleged that he knowingly possessed 1.30kg of Tramadol 225mg, which he concealed inside a thick winter jacket he was wearing in an attempt to evade airport security screening.

The anti-narcotics agency further alleged that the defendant attempted to manipulate his travel documents during his third arrest by exchanging his valid Italian residence permit with an expired one.

The offence is punishable under Sections 11(d) and 20(a)(c) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. (Nigerian Tribune, excluding headline)