Nairobi court hands Nigerian cocaine trafficker 8-year sentence
By Zipporah Ngwatu, August 15, 2025A Nairobi court has convicted a notorious Nigerian national, Alabi Tunde Lateef, to eight years in prison after being found guilty of trafficking cocaine.
Milimani Chief Magistrate Susan Shitubi, on Friday, August 15, 2025, found Lateef guilty of two of three counts lodged against him by the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP).
On the first count, Lateef was charged with trafficking in narcotic drugs contrary to section 4 (a) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act No. 4 of 1994.
According to the prosecution, on September 11, 2017, while in the General Post Office area within Nairobi County, he was found trafficking by conveying narcotic drugs, namely cocaine, to wit 75.4 grammes with a street value of Ksh377,000, in contravention of the said Act.
The second count states that on the same day, while at Kasarani, Mwiki area, within Nairobi County, the convict was found trafficking strong narcotic drugs, namely cocaine, to wit 102.7 grammes with a street value of Ksh517,800, in contravention of the said Act.
Unlawful residence
The DPP also charged Lateef with a third count of being unlawfully present in Kenya, contrary to section 53 (1) (j) as read with section 53 (2) of the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act 2011 No. 12 of 2011.
“On September 11, 2017, at Kasarani, Mwiki area, within Nairobi County, being a Nigerian national, was found unlawfully present in Kenya without a valid passport or permit in contravention of the said Act,” part of the charges read.
Notably, the prosecution informed the court that Lateef was also convicted of the same offence twice at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Court.
Magistrate Shitubi then asked Lateef whether what the State was telling the court was true, to which he agreed.
“Is it true that you have two other convictions over the same?” Shitubi asked Lateef.
In response, he said, “Yes, your honour.”
She then asked him whether he had anything to say in litigation.
Lateef then asked the magistrate to forgive him for trafficking drugs.
“Your Honour, kindly forgive me for the wrongdoing; I’m very sorry,” Lateef told the court.
Magistrate Shitubi jailed Lateef for eight years in the first and second counts and stated that the years will run concurrently. However, she dismissed the third count.
“From the records, you are a drug trafficker, and in counts one and two, I’m sentencing you to serve 8 years in jail on each; the sentences will be concurrent. On the third count, it is discharged under section 35 (1) of the Penal Code,” Magistrate Shitubi ruled.