Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court, Lagos on Wednesday sentenced a drug trafficker Bada Olanrewaju Akorede to six year imprisonment or a fine of N600, 000 in the alternative.
Justice Osiagor handed down the jail term on Akorede after he pleaded guilty to a two count charge of trafficking in 4.90 kilogrammes of Tramadol 225mg, a psychotropic substance similar to Heroin.
When the matter came up for trial on Wednesday counsel for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Mr Augustine Nwagwu told Justice Osiagor that a two count charge is pending before the court and pleaded with the court to allow the charge to be read so that the defendant can take his plea.
Consequently the charge was read and Bada Olanrewaju Akorede pleaded guilty to same .
Following his guilty plea, the facts of the charge was reviewed and Nwagwu asked the court to convict the defendant as charged based on his admittance of guilt, evidence presented before the court and in line with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA,
In his ruling on Nwagwu’s request, Justice Osiagor convicted the defendant as charged .
After his conviction, defendant’s counsel, Chief Benson Ndakara pleaded for mercy on behalf of Akorede, adding that the convict is a first time offender who has become remorseful.
Justice Osiagor after listening to the allocutus sentenced the convict to three years imprisonment on each of the two count charge or in the alternative N300,000 on each of the two counts and and two weeks community service.
The charge against the defendant reads :
That you Bada Olanrewaju Akorede, maie, 50 years old, on or about the 12th day of December 2023 during the examination and outward clearance of cargo to Johannesburg in South Africa at SAHCO Export Shed of Murtala Mohammed international Airport, Ikeja Lagos within the jurisdiction of thts Honourable Court without lawful authority exported 4.90 kilogrammes of Tramadol 225mg, a psychotropic substance similar to Heroin and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 20(1) (a) and punishable under Section 20(2) (a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004
Count two
That you Bada Olanrewaju Akorede, male, 50 years old, on or about the 12th day of December 2023 during the examination and outward clearance of cargo to Johannesburg in South Africa at SAHCO Export Shed of Murtala Mohammed international Airport, Ikeja Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court without lawful authority exported 210 kilogrammes of Rohypnol 1mg, a psychotropic Substance similar to Heroin and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 20(1) (a) and punishable under Section 20(2) (a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
In a similar vein, another drug trafficker, Agu Evidence Amobi, male, 40 years old has been sentenced to 3 years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 in the alternative.
Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court, Lagos convicted and sentenced Agu Evidence Amobi following his guilty plea to a one count charge of trafficking in 1.30 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa, a narcotic drug similar to Cocaine, Heroin, or LSD.
The offence against the convict reads:
That you Agu Evidence Anobi 40 years old, on or about the 30th day of December 2023 during the outward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways flight to Doha at the New Terminal 2 of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court without lawful authority exported 1.30 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa, a narcotic drug similar to Cocaine, Heroin, or LSD and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 11(b) of the National Orug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
