Drug agency expresses concern over sentence of peddlers.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has expressed concern following the ruling by a Federal High court that Mgbakogu Nnaemeka, convicted of trafficking in cocaine should be freed.
Nnaemeka, 33 was convicted by B.I. Molokwe of the Federal High Court Ikoyi Lagos and ordered to serve a 12-year jail sentence.
But the judge, in her ruling, stated that the convict was “well behaved” and his religious life while in detention reflected a high sense of remorse. She therefore sentenced him to 12 months imprisonment starting from June 3rd 2010 when he was arrested.
But the NDLEA, which said it was worried that Nnaemeka was deemed to have served his sentence already, said there is need for stiffer penalty for drug trafficking to serve as deterrent to others.
The spokesperson for the Agency, Mitchell Ofoyeju, said the sentence is counter-productive in the light of the circumstances of the case.
It is an invitation to continue the criminal trade because he was first sentenced to six months imprisonment at the first instance.”
Nnaemeka was arrested on June 3, 2010 at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos during the outward clearance of passengers on Iberia Airline flight to Spain. He tested positive to drug ingestion and was placed under observation.
While under observation, he excreted 46 wraps of substances that tested positive for cocaine weighing 950 grammes.
He was then charged for unlawful exportation of cocaine.
The convict was first arrested by anti-narcotic officers on July 10,2007 for unlawfully exporting 1.161kg of cocaine at the Lagos Airport.
He was nabbed then during the outward clearance of passengers on KLM flight to Amsterdam, but was sentenced to six months imprisonment by A.R. Mohammed of the Federal High Court Ikoyi.
Ofoyeju added that the ruling will encourage drug traffickers to become hardened criminals.
Last week, a Federal High Court at Ikoyi had sentenced a Taiwanese, Fong Chiu Sen and a Chinese, Wang Richard, to 30 years in prison for the importation of 450.4 kilogrammes of cocaine from the Republic of Chile into the country last year.
Three Nigerians, identified as clearing and forwarding agents linked to the crime, were discharged and acquitted by Justice Abang following the failure of the NDLEA prosecuting officers to produce evidence linking them to the crime.
The clearing agents are Inua Mohammed, Ezeala Kingsley and Godswill Asomugha.
The anti-narcotic agency had on August 16, 2010, arraigned the foreigners and the Nigerians on a four-count charge for the importation of the cocaine concealed in cigarette packs and stored in slates, the cocaine was worth over N2 billion according to the NDLEA.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has expressed concern following the ruling by a Federal High court that Mgbakogu Nnaemeka, convicted of trafficking in cocaine should be freed.
Nnaemeka, 33 was convicted by B.I. Molokwe of the Federal High Court Ikoyi Lagos and ordered to serve a 12-year jail sentence.
But the judge, in her ruling, stated that the convict was “well behaved” and his religious life while in detention reflected a high sense of remorse. She therefore sentenced him to 12 months imprisonment starting from June 3rd 2010 when he was arrested.
But the NDLEA, which said it was worried that Nnaemeka was deemed to have served his sentence already, said there is need for stiffer penalty for drug trafficking to serve as deterrent to others.
The spokesperson for the Agency, Mitchell Ofoyeju, said the sentence is counter-productive in the light of the circumstances of the case.
It is an invitation to continue the criminal trade because he was first sentenced to six months imprisonment at the first instance.”
Nnaemeka was arrested on June 3, 2010 at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos during the outward clearance of passengers on Iberia Airline flight to Spain. He tested positive to drug ingestion and was placed under observation.
While under observation, he excreted 46 wraps of substances that tested positive for cocaine weighing 950 grammes.
He was then charged for unlawful exportation of cocaine.
The convict was first arrested by anti-narcotic officers on July 10,2007 for unlawfully exporting 1.161kg of cocaine at the Lagos Airport.
He was nabbed then during the outward clearance of passengers on KLM flight to Amsterdam, but was sentenced to six months imprisonment by A.R. Mohammed of the Federal High Court Ikoyi.
Ofoyeju added that the ruling will encourage drug traffickers to become hardened criminals.
Last week, a Federal High Court at Ikoyi had sentenced a Taiwanese, Fong Chiu Sen and a Chinese, Wang Richard, to 30 years in prison for the importation of 450.4 kilogrammes of cocaine from the Republic of Chile into the country last year.
Three Nigerians, identified as clearing and forwarding agents linked to the crime, were discharged and acquitted by Justice Abang following the failure of the NDLEA prosecuting officers to produce evidence linking them to the crime.
The clearing agents are Inua Mohammed, Ezeala Kingsley and Godswill Asomugha.
The anti-narcotic agency had on August 16, 2010, arraigned the foreigners and the Nigerians on a four-count charge for the importation of the cocaine concealed in cigarette packs and stored in slates, the cocaine was worth over N2 billion according to the NDLEA.
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