Pregnant Woman Bags 5-year Jail Term For Drug Trafficking

Federal High Court in Lagos has jailed a pregnant woman, Jatau Lydia Lami for five years for attempting to smuggle 900 grams of Tramadol to Turkey through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Ikeja.

The trial judge, Justice Akintayo Aluko Akintayo Aluko convicted and sentenced Lami after she pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of unlawful exportation of the said prohibited drug brought against her by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)

The NDLEA prosecutor, Augustine Nwagu had earlier told the judge that the convict was arrested with the drug, on July 31, 2022, during the outward clearance of passengers on a Turkish Airline flight to Turkey at the departure hall of Murtala Mohammed International Airport.

Nwagu had maintained that the offence violated Section 20(1)(a) and was punishable under Section 20(2)(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

Based on her plea, the prosecutor urged the court to convict and sentence her by the section of the law under which she was brought before the court.

But the defense counsel, Uche Okoronkwo pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy while considering the sentence to be imposed on his client.

Uche also informed the court that the convict is a first-time offender, who did not have a previous criminal record.