Driver Jailed 10 Years For Importing Hard Drugs
A driver, Akinola Sulaiman, was today, convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by a Federal High Court, Lagos, for the importation of 11 kilograms of hard drugs.
The convict, a Driver on Ghana plying Nigeria route, was arrested on the 30th of August 30, 2013 with 1.3kg of Heroin neatly concealed in a big brown travelling bag with false bottoms, hidden in a Toyota Camry car with registration number JJJ 584 AE Lagos.
He was charged before the court n FHC/L/374C/2013 on two counts of importation of 1.3 kilograms of heroin and 9.75 kilograms of Ephedrine, a substance similar to cocaine, heroin and LSD.
He was first arraigned before Justice Abang Okon, on November 6, 2013, who declined granting him bail, on the ground that he may jump bail, despite pleaded of not guilty to the charges.
On February 20, 2014, the convict’s trial commenced and four witnesses were called by the prosecutor, Mr. Aliyu Abubakar. However, upon Justice Abang’s transfer, coupled with non-issuance of ‘fiat’ for him to complete the case, the convict’s trial started ‘De novo’ before Justice Kuewumi.
During his retrial before Justice Kuewumi, the prosecutor called seven witnesses and tendered six exhibits, which were admitted and marked as ‘exhibits 1-6. And the Prosecutor closed his case and defendant only witnesses was himself.
At today’s proceedings, convict’s counsel, M. Tayo-Oyetubo, in his allocutor, prayed the court to consider the period spent in detention while the trial lasted in sentencing his client. But the prosecutor, Abubakar, who was represented by Denney’s Fingers Owen, urged the court to discountenance the convict’s counsel plea and allow the full wrath of the law to take its place in sentencing the convict.
After listened to the submissions of parties, Justice Kuewumi pronounced that the prosecution have successfully proved its case against the convict, he, therefore, sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment.
Justice Kuewumi, however, ordered that the convict’s jail terms will start to run from August 30, 2013, when he was first
