Justice Akintayo Aluko of a Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced Megwalu Chukwudi Bob-Manuel, the Chief Executive Officer of G Care Pharm Limited, to four years' imprisonment for the unlawful procurement and attempted exportation of 8.30 kilogrammes of Raphnol, a prohibited psychotropic substance.
The conviction follows Bob-Manuel’s guilty plea to a two-count charge filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The court ordered that the prison terms on both counts run concurrently, with the sentence effective from the date of the defendant's arrest in July 2026.
During the proceedings, the prosecutor, Arit Okon, informed the court that the offences occurred on July 24, 2026, at the NAHCO Export Shed, located within the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos.
The prosecution detailed that Bob-Manuel unlawfully procured two individuals, Justina of Tina Travels Service Limited and Anosie Ebube of Fair Express, to facilitate the exportation of the drugs to Nairobi, Kenya.
Additionally, the convict was accused of personally attempting to export the substance without lawful authority.
The illegal acts were deemed a violation of Section 21(2)(c) and 11(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Following the convict’s guilty plea, the prosecution reviewed the facts of the case and presented exhibits through a witness, urging the court to impose a sentence as prescribed by law.
In his plea for leniency, the convict’s lawyer, Chief Benson Ndakara, appealed to the court to consider that his client was a first-time offender who had not wasted judicial time.
The defence further requested a non-custodial sentence or a fine instead of imprisonment.
Justice Aluko, while acknowledging the defence's mitigation, weighed the gravity of the offence, specifically the significant quantity of the controlled substance involved.
He sentenced Bob-Manuel to four years on each count, with the terms running concurrently.
However, in a nod to the defence's plea, the judge granted the convict an option of a ₦1 million fine as an alternative to serving the full prison term.
#DrugTrafficking #NDLEA #LagosCourt #Raphnol #CrimeNews #NigeriaLaw #PsychotropicSubstance #LegalNews #MMIA #GCarePharm #BreakingNews
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