The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arraigned an immigration officer, Adeola Sanni, and two others before the Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged conspiracy, unlawful possession and exportation of 1 kilograms of Methamphetamine, a narcotic substance.
Sanni, attached to Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, was arraigned before Justice Nicholas Oweibo alongside Nnamdi Eyah, a.k. Murphy and Hien Narcisse, a.k.a. Ugwuoke Oluchukwu.
Eyah and Narcisse were docked over allegations of conspiracy and unlawful exportation of 1 kilograms of Cocaine.
While the immigration officer was arraigned on a one-count charge of aiding and abetting Eyah and Narcisse to export the banned substance illegally.
The prosecutor, Abu Ibrahim had earlier told the court that the three men committed the offences on June 8, 2023.
Ibrahim had also claimed that Eyah and Narcisse, at Avenue Garden, Ago Palace-way, Lagos, conspired to export 1 kilograms of Methamphetamine unlawfully.
He also informed the court that the first defendant, Eyah, procured the second defendant, Narcisse, to commit the alleged offences.
While Eyah and Narcisse pleaded guilty to the charge, the Immigration officer pleaded not guilty.
Based on the plea of the first and second defendants, the prosecutor reviewed the facts of the charge, as well as tendered exhibits, which the court admitted.
Ibrahim then urged the court to convict and sentence them in accordance with the NDLEA Act under which they were charged.
However, their counsel, Uche Okoronkwo, after citing a plethora of authorities, pleaded with the court to temper Justice with mercy by imposing a non-custodial sentence on his clients.
Okoronkwo also persuaded the court to award an option of a fine instead of the custodian sentence.
Justice Oweibo, in his judgment, sentenced the convicts to two years on each count but ordered them to pay a N1 million fine each instead of the jail term.
