Court Jails Woman For 18 Months For Exporting Cannabis To Cape Verde

Justice Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced a businesswoman, Jumoke Akinusi, to 18 months in prison for attempting to export 1.10 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa to Cape Verde unlawfully.

Justice Aluko handed down the verdict after Akinusi pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of drug trafficking brought against her by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The prosecutor, Cyril Osaigbovo, told the court that the defendant allegedly committed the offence on August 14, 2026, by exporting the prohibited substance through the National Handling Company Export Shed, a customs-controlled area at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos.

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Osaigbovo also maintained that the offence contravened Section 11(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

Following the defendant’s plea, the prosecutor reviewed the facts of the case and urged the court to convict her based on her admission, the exhibits tendered and the applicable law.

In a plea for leniency, her lawyer, Michael Ogbodo, urged the court to temper justice with mercy, assuring it that his client would not repeat the illicit act.

Ogbodo also asked the court to impose a fine instead of imprisonment.

In his judgment, Justice Aluko sentenced Jumoke to 18 months in prison, with the option of paying a N500,000 fine.

The charge against the convicted woman reads: “that you, Akinusi Jumoke, ‘F’, Adult, on or about the 14th day of August 2026, without lawful authority, exported 1.10 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa, a narcotic drug similar to Cocaine, LSD, Heroin, from the National Handling Company Export Shed, a customs area/point of the Murtala Muhammed International airport, Ikeja, Lagos State to Cape Verde 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.”