Justice Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced a Canadian-based Nigerian, Abimbola Daniel, to 11 years in prison for unlawfully importing and possessing 2.5kg of cannabis.
Daniel was convicted after pleading guilty to a two-count charge brought against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The offences, according to the prosecution, contravened Sections 11(2) and 20(1) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
The NDLEA prosecutor, Arit Okon, told the court that Daniel imported the prohibited substance from Canada on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
Okon said the cannabis was concealed in a cargo consignment covered by waybill number 07161185795 and brought into Nigeria through the Customs Import Shed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
The prosecutor said Daniel had engaged Afriway Cargo and Logistics, located at 20B Anthony Udo Avenue, International Airport Road, Ikeja, to clear the consignment.
He was arrested when he arrived at the logistics company to collect the cargo, the court heard.
Following his arrest and the conclusion of investigations, the NDLEA charged him with unlawful importation and possession of 2.5kg of cannabis.
After Daniel entered his guilty plea, the prosecution called the agency’s exhibit keeper, Abdullahi Musa, who reviewed the facts of the case and tendered the exhibits recovered from the convict.
The court admitted the exhibits as evidence.
Okon subsequently urged the court to convict and sentence Daniel based on his guilty plea, the evidence before the court and relevant provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
However, Daniel’s counsel, Chief Benson Ndakara, asked the court to temper justice with mercy, citing his client’s early guilty plea and clean criminal record.
Ndakara also urged the court to consider a non-custodial sentence in accordance with applicable provisions of the ACJA.
In his judgment, Justice Aluko noted that Daniel had no previous conviction and considered the submissions of both the prosecution and defence, as well as the legal authorities cited by counsel.
The judge subsequently sentenced Daniel to five years’ imprisonment on the first count and six years on the second count, bringing the total sentence to 11 years.
The court, however, gave Daniel the option of paying a fine of N500,000 on the first count and N600,000 on the second count in lieu of imprisonment.
