Justice Tijjani Ringim of the Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted and sentenced a widow, Sidika Ajisegiri, who attempted to smuggle cocaine from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia, to two years imprisonment.
Justice Ringim jailed Ajisegiri after she pleaded not guilty to the four-count charge of unlawful dealing and exportation of the prohibited substance brought against her by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The prosecutor, Mrs Imaobong Irobochi, informed the court that the convict was arrested on November 13, 2022, with 400 grams of cocaine at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, during the outward clearance of passengers to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Irobochi also told the judge that the convict conspired with one Olanreaju Abdulai Ramon, who is now at large, to commit the illegal act by concealing the drug in a pair of black sandals she wore on the day.
The prosecutor said the offences violated sections 11(b) and 14(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap. N 30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and punishable under the same Act.
The convict had initially pleaded not guilty to the charge when she was first arraigned before the court.
However, at the resumed hearing of the case on Friday, the convict informed the court of her intention to change her plea, a development which made the judge to order that the charge be re-read to her.
Upon her guilty plea, the prosecutor reviewed the facts of the case and urged the court to convict and sentence her in accordance with the sections of the NDLEA Act under which she was charged.
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