Justice Ambrose Lewis Alagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted and sentenced Chijioke Igbokwe to five years in prison for trafficking 1.943 kilograms of cocaine.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa jailed Igbokwe after he pleaded guilty to a single count of unlawful dealing with the banned substance.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Abu Ibrahim, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) ‘s prosecuting counsel informed the judge that a one-count charge was pending before the court.
He requested that the charge be read so the defendant could enter his plea. The court subsequently ordered the charge read, and the defendant pleaded guilty.
After the plea was taken, Ibrahim reviewed the facts of the case and presented relevant documents and exhibits without any objections from the defence counsel, Chief Benson Ndakara.
Based on the guilty plea and the evidence presented, Ibrahim urged the court to convict the defendant as charged, citing Section 274(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015. Consequently, Justice Alagoa convicted Chijioke Igbokwe.
Chief Ndakara, counsel for the defendant, pleaded for leniency on behalf of the convict in his plea for mercy.
The lawyer told the court that his client was a first-time offender and noted that he had pleaded guilty promptly and that he did not waste the court’s time.
He urged the court to consider imposing a fine instead of a custodial sentence.
In his judgment, the judge sentenced the defendant to five years in prison or a fine of N10 million instead of imprisonment.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of 2,500 Lebanese pounds found on the convict by NDLEA officials during his arrest.
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