Driver Jailed 10 Years For Importing Hard Drugs

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 importation of 11 kilograms of hard drugs.

Justice Babs Kuewumi, convicted and sentenced the driver, after upholding prosecution’s submissions on the charges against him.

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 in charge marked FHC/L/374C/2013, with two counts of importation of 1.3 kilograms of Heroin and 9.75 kilograms of Ephedrine, a substance similar to cocaine, heroine and LSD.

He was first arraigned before Justice Abang Okon, the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) 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 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  Denneys 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 arrested.

The judge also ordered that the drugs seized from the convict be destroyed if there was no appeal against the judgment within the period stipulated by the law.

Charges Against The Convict Read: “that you Akinola Suleiman, Male, Adult, Nigerian of Onigbogbo Area, Afan, Ogun State, on or about the 30th day of August, 2013 at National Drug Law Enforcement Agency checking Point, Gbagi, Seme border Area of Lagos State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, during the stop and search of vehicles entering Nigeria, without lawful authority imported 1.3 Kilogrammes of Heroin from Ghana to Nigeria and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 11(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. 

“That you Akinola Suleiman, Male, Adult, Nigerian of Onigbogbo Area, Afan, Ogun State, on or about the 30th day of August, 2013 at National Drug Law Enforcement Agency checking Point, Gbagi, Seme border Area of Lagos State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, during the stop and search of vehicles entering Nigeria, without lawful authority imported 9.75 Kilogrammes of Ephedrine from Ghana to Nigeria and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 11(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004”.

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