Physically Challenged Woman Bags 15 Years Jail Term for Drug Trafficking in Edo

Aug 4, 2025

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A Federal High Court sitting in Benin City, Edo State, has sentenced a 35-year-old physically challenged woman, Rita Idehen, to 15 years imprisonment for drug trafficking.

Justice J. B. O. Quadri handed down the judgment under charge number FHC/B/114C/2022 after Idehen was found guilty of unlawful possession of 2.5kg of cannabis sativa, 1.8g of loud, and 2.2g of swinol. The convict, who pleaded guilty, was given the option of paying a fine of ₦3 million.

The conviction forms part of a wider crackdown on drug-related offences in Edo State by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). A total of seven persons were convicted in July 2025 alone, including Idehen, for various drug offences.

Others convicted include Risikatu Tijani, a 48-year-old woman from Osogbo, Osun State, who was sentenced to 17 years or a ₦4 million fine for possession of 8.701kg of cannabis and 42g of methamphetamine; and Friday Robert, 50, who bagged 15 years or a ₦3 million fine for transporting 22kg of cannabis in a motorcycle, which was also forfeited to the Federal Government.

Also sentenced were Etimesy Stephen, 55, jailed for 15 years or a ₦1.5 million fine for cultivating 0.597 hectares of cannabis; Salami Philip Timothy, 35, sentenced to 15 years or ₦3 million for possession of multiple hard drugs; and Christopher Tanko, 28, who received 15 years or a ₦5 million fine for possession of cannabis, methamphetamine, cocaine, Rohypnol, and tramadol. Henry Bitrus Okoye, 22, was jailed for one year or fined ₦1 million for possessing 1.068kg of cannabis.

Reacting to the convictions, the NDLEA Commander in Edo State, Mitchell Ofoyeju, said the agency remains committed to prosecuting drug offenders regardless of status or condition.

“One of the greatest deterrents of crime is the certainty of stern punishment. Those who commit crime under any guise should prepare to face the consequences,” he stated.

Ofoyeju revealed that between January and July 2025, the command secured seven convictions out of 15 concluded drug-related cases, with 113 others pending in court.