Court Jails 4 Men 20 Years For Drug Trafficking
Four men, Godswill Zevor; Phillip Erugbe; Agbeko Dumuda and Monday Kponeba, were Thursday convicted an sentenced to a total of 20 years imprisonment, conspiracy and unlawful transportation of 1,120 Kilogrames of cannabis Sativa, a prohibited substance, by a Federal High Court, Lagos.
The four convicted men were given the jail-term by Justice Musa Kakaki, who presided over the court, after they all pleaded guilty to the charges of unlawful Importation and transportation of the banned weed, made against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The convicted men, according to the NDLEA lawyer, Paul Awogbuyi, were arrested on August 25, 2024, at the sea, along Oniru beach area of Lekki, Lagos state.
The prosecutor had told the court that the alleged illegal acts o the convicted men, contravened Section 11(a) and 11(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004 and punishable under the same Act.
The convicted men who are of foreign nationals, have pleaded guilty to the charges.
Based on their guilty plea, the prosecutor reviewed the facts of the charge, and tendered some exhibits which includes: bulk of the prohibited weed concealed in two jumbo sacs, their confessional statements and others.
Based on their guilty plea, the prosecutor Barrister Awogbuyi, while citing plethora of authorities, urged the court to convict and sentence them in relation to the sections of NDLEA acts they were charged with.
But the convicts lawyer, Barrister G. U. Okaka, while not opposing the admissibility of the exhibits tendered, in his allocator, however pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy in sentencing his clients, based on their earlier guilty plea.
Barrister Okaka also pleaded with the court to consider that the convicted men are first time offenders, who did not have any previous record of conviction.
He also pleaded with the court to give his clients a fine option in lieu of the custodian sentence.
Justice Kakaki in his judgment after listening to the counsel’s submissions held that: “I have discovered that payment of fine has not deterred people going into the illicit trade of drug.
“I have also considered the quantity of the drug 1,120 kilograms and the damage caused to the society by the effect of drug, as well as, the statements of the defendants to the effect that that they involved themselves with the aim of getting paid for the job.
Consequently, each of the convicts is hereby sentenced to 5 years imprisonment on each count which is to run concurrently.”
Charges against the convicted men read: “That you Godswill Zevor Male, Adult, Phillip Erugbe Male, Adult, Agbeko Dumuda Male, Adult, and Monday Kponeba, Male, Adult, on or about the 25th day of August 2024, at the sea along Oniru beach area of Lekki, Lagos state, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without lawful authority, imported 1,120 kilogram of Cannabis Sativa, a narcotic drug similar to Cocaine, Heroin and LSD and thereby committed an offence provided for and punishable under Section 11(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004.
“That you That you Godswill Zevor Male, Adult, Phillip Erugbe Male, Adult, Agbeko Dumuda Male, Adult, and Monday Kponeba, Male, Adult, on or about the 25th day of August 2024, at the sea along Oniru beach area of Lekki, Lagos state, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without lawful authority, transported 1,120 kilogram of Cannabis Sativa, a narcotic drug similar to Cocaine, Heroin and LSD and thereby committed an offence provided under Section 11(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004.”
