Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted and sentenced Okenwa Uchenna, a 27-year-old drug trafficker, to two and a half years in prison for the unlawful export of 1.30 kilograms of tramadol, a psychotropic substance.
Justice Bogoro jailed Okenwa after he pleaded guilty to a three-count charge of conspiracy, unlawful export, and possession of the prohibited drug brought against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Before the verdict was handed down, the prosecutor, Bibiana Anagu-Eze, had told the judge that the convict was arrested in October 2024 during the examination and clearing of cargo intended for export to Cyprus at the NAHCO Export Shed of the Customs Area at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
Anagu-Eze also informed the court that the convict conspired with Kelvin Mooneye, currently in Cyprus, to carry out the illegal act.
She also revealed that an additional 200 grams of tramadol were recovered from Okenwa’s residence at 2 Sunny Ogu Crescent, City Hill Estate, Enugu State.
The prosecutor had further claimed the offences violated sections 14(b), 11(b), and 19 of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, CAP 30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and were punishable under the same Act.
After the convict’s plea was taken, the prosecutor reviewed the facts of the case and tendered all relevant exhibits.
The defence lawyer, Anthony Nnamoko, pleaded for leniency during sentencing, urging the court to consider his client’s early guilty plea as an expression of remorse and to acknowledge that this was his first offence.
Nnamoko also urged the court to impose a non-custodial sentence or a fine on his client instead of sending him to prison.
In her judgment, Justice Bogoro sentenced Okenwa to one year in prison for the first and second counts, each with an option of a fine of N1 million.
The court also sentenced the convict to six months for the third count without any option of a fine.
The judge also ordered the convict to complete three weeks of community service.
However, she ruled that the prison sentences and fine options would run consecutively.
