Drug Trafficker Remanded, Another Jailed Three Years

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Thursday arraigned a drug trafficker, Uduekwelu Onyekachukwu, before a Federal High Court in Lagos State for allegedly trafficking 24.50kg of Ephedrine, a banned substance.

The defendant is facing two counts of conspiracy and trafficking of 24.50kg of Ephedrine, preferred against him by NDLEA.

The NDLEA prosecutor, Abu Ibrahim, told the court that the defendant who is a resident of No 7, Promiseland, Dansa, Abule Osun, Lagos, was arrested on January 30, 2023.

He said Onyekachukwu was arrested during the examination of cargoes to Congo, at the NAHCO export shed, a Customs area/point of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja-Lagos.

The prosecutor told the court that the defendant conspired with one Paul, aka ‘Aku Powder’, who is now at large.

Ibrahim also told the court that the defendant engaged one freight agent, Oladapo Olatunbosun, to export the banned substance.

According to him, the offences committed contravened Sections 14 (b) and 21 (2)(d) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and punishable under Section 11(b) of the said Act.

However, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the offences.

Following his not-guilty plea, the prosecutor asked for a trial date and also urged the court to remand the defendant to the correctional centre till the determination of the charges.

But his counsel, Dennis Warri, urged the court to admit his client to bail in liberal terms.

Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa, in a bench ruling, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N50m, with one surety in like sum.

The judge ordered that the surety must be a landed property owner within the court’s jurisdiction.

Justice Lewis-Allagoa ordered the remand of the defendant and adjourned the matter till May 19, for trial.

In a similar development, Justice Chukwuejekwu Aneke of the same court convicted and sentenced a man, Musbau Fashola, who was arraigned for transporting 57kg of Indian hemp, popularly called marijuana.

The convict, a resident of the Patey area of Lagos Island, Lagos State, was first arraigned before the court by the NDLEA sometime in 2018, on charges bordering on unlawful dealing and transportation of the banned weeds.

The offences contravened Sections 11(c) and 21 (2)(d) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

However, at the resumed hearing of the charge on Wednesday, the convict informed the court of his intention to change his earlier guilty plea, which was granted by the court.

He was re-arraigned on charges which bordered on transportation of the banned weed and the convict pleaded guilty to the charge.

In view of his plea of guilty, the prosecutor, A. Adebajo, urged the court to convict and sentence him in accordance with the NDLEA Act he was charged with.

Counsel for the convict, G. U. Okaka, however, pleaded with the court to be lenient in sentencing his client.

He also begged the court for an option of a fine in lieu of a custodian sentence.

Justice Aneke in his judgment sentenced the convict to three years imprisonment.

He, however, gave him an option of N500, 000, in lieu of the jail term.