Drug Trafficker Jailed 5 Years

For trafficking in Tramadol and Cannabis Sativa, popularly called Marijuana, a drug trafficker, Osahon Ekwueme Alex, was on Friday convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment.

The drug dealer was sent to jail by Justice Tijjani Ringim of a Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, after pleading guilty to a two count-charge of unlawful export of 600 grammes of Tramadol, 225 mg, and 400 grammes of marijuana.

It would be recalled that the convicted Ekweme was dragged before the judge by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over his involvement in the illegal business.

Specifically, the NDLEA through its counsel, Augustine Nwagu, had told the court that the convict was arrested with the prohibited substances on October 5, 2022, at NAHCO Export Shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, |keja, Lagos.

The counsel had also informed the judge that the convict intends to export the ‘cargo’ to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The prosecutor further informed the judge that the offences contravened Section 20(1)(a) and were punishable under Section 20(2)(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

When the matter came up before the court yesterday, the prosecutor, after reviewing the facts of the charge, urged the court to sentence him in accordance with Section 274(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.

However, in his allocutors, the convict begged the judge to temper justice with mercy in sentencing him.

The convict informed the court that he was misled by his client and that he had learned his lesson in a very hard way and has remained remorseful.

The convicted Ekweme begged the court for a non-custodial sentence or an option of a fine in place of jail time.

In his judgment, Justice Ringim, after citing a plethora of legal authorities, sentenced the convict to five years in count one without an option of fine, and also sentenced him to five years in count two but with an option of N500, 000.

The judge also ordered that the bulk of the banned substances seized from the convict be destroyed by the NDLEA if there is no appeal against the judgment within the period stipulated by the law.

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