A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has convicted and sentenced Ajetsibo Emami, the younger brother of Warri billionaire businessman and former Ologbotsere (Prime Minister) of Warri Kingdom, Chief Ayiri Emami, to six years imprisonment for drug trafficking.

Ajetsibo, 37, popularly known as Warri Kinsman, was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on June 28, 2025, in Ikeja, Lagos, after a three-day intelligence-led operation dismantled his drug network. During the raid, NDLEA operatives recovered 24 jumbo bags containing 681 pouches of Canadian Loud (a potent cannabis strain) weighing 414.2 kilograms.

Investigations revealed that Emami had planned to move the massive consignment to the Lekki axis for onward distribution across Lagos and other parts of the country.

He was subsequently arraigned before Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court 8, Lagos, on charge number FHC/L/636C/2025, bordering on dealing in illicit drugs. On Monday, August 18, 2025, Justice Dipeolu convicted him and sentenced him to six years imprisonment, with an option of a ₦50 million fine.

In a separate ruling, Justice Dipeolu also sentenced another notorious trafficker, 51-year-old Solomon Akpomuai, to four years imprisonment with a ₦50 million fine option, after he was caught transporting 2,197.8 kilograms of skunk by Customs officials along the Sagamu–Ijebu-Ode expressway and later handed over to the NDLEA.

Reacting to the convictions, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd.), hailed the verdicts as proof that the agency’s strategies in tackling drug supply and demand are working. He praised the judiciary, NDLEA investigators, and stakeholders for their commitment to ridding Nigeria of illicit drugs.

The conviction of Ajetsibo has cast a spotlight on his family, particularly his elder brother, Chief Ayiri Emami, a prominent Warri businessman, politician, and philanthropist. Ayiri, born April 26, 1975, is Chairman/CEO of A & E Group, with interests in oil and gas, construction, entertainment, and hospitality. He once held the revered Warri chieftaincy title of Ologbotsere (Prime Minister), before being suspended in 2021 by the Ginuwa I Ruling House, and later stripped of the title by the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III.

While Ayiri has maintained a strong public profile as an influential figure in Delta State, the conviction of his younger brother marks a serious dent on the family’s image.