A 49 year-old man, Chukwu Kingsley, has been convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by a Lagos Federal High Court for dealing in banned codeine and Tramadol.
Kingsley was given the jail terms by Justice Daniel Osiagor he pleaded guilty to two counts charge of unlawful exportation of 5.70 kilograms of Tramadol 225mg and 5.10 kilogram of Codeine syrup.
The convict was brought before the court by the men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on the charges.
The prosecutor, Mr. Augustine Nwagu, told the court that the convict was arrested with the banned drugs on September 13, 2022, during the outward clearance of passengers on Asky Airline flight to Italy via Lome at the Departure Hall of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
Nwagu told the court that the offences committed by the convict, contravened sections 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.
The convict, admitted committing the offence and pleaded guilty to the charge made against him.
Following his guilty plea, the court asked the prosecutor to review the facts of the charge.
The prosecutor, after reviewing the facts of the charge, and tendered some exhibits, which includes his confessional statement, laboratory test analysis report, the seized drug and his traveling documents, urged the court to convict and sentence him according to the sections of the laws he was charged with.
But counsel to the defendant, Dennis Warri, urged the court to tamper justice with mercy in sentencing his client.
Warri, also urged the court to consider option of fine in lieu of the custodian sentence.
Justice Osiagor in his judgment, while considered the submissions of prosecutor and the convcit’s counsel, and support with plethoras of authorites, sentenced the convict to 10 years imprisonment.
The judge however, ordered the convict to pay the sum of N1 million, in lieu of the jail terms. While also ordered that the drug banned seized from the convict be destroyed if there is no appeal against his judgment within the period stipulated by the law.
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That you Chukwu Kingsley, male, 49 years old, on or about the 13th day of September 2022 during the outward clearance of passengers on Asky Airline flight to Italy via Lome at Gate “B” of the Departure Hall of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja — Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court without lawful authority exported 5.70 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.
That you Chukwu Kingsley, male, 49 years old, on or about the 13th day of September 2022 during the outward clearance of passengers on Asky Airline flight to italy via Lome at Gate “B” of the Departure Hall of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja — Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court without lawful authority exported 5.10 kilogrammes of Codeine Syrup, 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.
