A Liberia sojourner, Okafor Ebere Edith, has been convicted and sentenced to three years imprisonment for trafficking in 600 grams of Cocaine. Okafor was given the jail-term by Justice Daniel Osiagor on Friday, after she pleaded guilty to a count charge of unlawful exportation of the banned drug, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)...Read The Full Story Here ▶
The judge, however ordered the convicted woman to pay the sum of N600, 000, 00, in lieu of the jail term.
The convict, according to the prosecutor, Mr. Augustine Nwagu, was arrested on July 31, 2021, at the departure hall of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, during the outward clearance of passengers on Air Cote D’ Ivoire flight to Liberia.
The prosecutor told the court that the illegal act of the convicted woman, contravened section 11(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and punishable under the same Act.
The convict, admitted committing the offence, when the charge was read to her.
Following her guilty plea, her Emmanuel Okenyi, pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy in convicting his client adding that she is a first time convict who did not have any previous record of conviction.
He also urged the court to give his client a fine option in lieu of the custodian sentence.
Upon the prosecutor agreeing that the convicted was a first time convict, without record of previous conviction, Justice Osiagor, sentenced the convicted woman to three years imprisonment, but ordered her to pay the sum of N600, 000, 00, in lieu of the jail-term.
The Charge Against The Convict Reads: “that you Okafor Ebere Edith, female, adult on or about the 31th day of July 2021, during the outward clearance of passengers on Air Cote D’ Ivoire flight to Liberia at the Departure Hall of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court without lawful authority exported 600 grammes of Cocaine and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 11(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
