Woman bags 15 years jail term for drug trafficking

A 32-year-old woman, Oladitan Olufunmilayo, was on Tuesday sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos for trafficking in banned substances.

Justice Daniel Osiagor handed down the jail term after the convict pleaded guilty to five counts of trafficking in banned drugs preferred against her by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.

NDLEA prosecutor, Augustine Nwagu, told the court that the convict was arrested with the prohibited drugs on November 3, 2022, at Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc Export Shed at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, during the examination and clearing of cargo to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

He said the drugs that were found on the convict when she was arrested included, seven grams of Cocaine; 11 grams of Methamphetamine; 52 grams of Cannabis Sativa; 47 grams of Tramadol 225mg and 106 grams of Rohypnol.

The prosecutor said the offences committed contravened Sections 11(b) and 20(1)(a) of the NDLEA Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004; and are punishable under Section 20(2)(a) of the same Act.

Earlier when the convict was arraigned, she pleaded guilty and the prosecutor urged the court to convict and sentence her according to the sections of the laws she was charged with.

But her counsel, Dennis Warri, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing her, adding that his client is a first-time offender.

Justice Osiagor sentenced the convict to three years imprisonment in each, with an option of N350, 000, and one week on each of the counts.

The judge, however, ordered that the jail term should run concurrently.