The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State has sentenced a 51-year-old man, Udogwu James Johnson, to five years imprisonment for the unlawful importation of 300 grams of cocaine.
Justice Nicholas Oweibo handed down the jail term on Thursday, April 27, 2023, after finding Johnson guilty of the offense preferred against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
The convict pleaded guilty to an amended charge filed against him when he was arraigned before the court.
While reviewing the facts of the matter, the convict, according to the prosecutor, Abu Ibrahim, was first arraigned before the court on August 12, 2021, but pleaded not guilty to the charge.
He said that midway into his trial, the convict jumped bail and his bail was revoked on June 6, 2022.
Ibrahim told the court that the convict was later rearrested at Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, where he was facing another charge of drug-related offenses.
Earlier when the matter came up for hearing on Thursday, the convict signified his intention to change his plea, and the amended charge marked FHC/L/128c/21, was read to him.
In the amended charge, Johnson was said to have unlawfully imported 300 grams of cocaine, hereby committing the offense on or around December 25, 2020, at the D-Arrival Hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
According to NDLEA, the offense contravened Section 11 (a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Following his guilty plea, the prosecutor urged the court to convict and sentence Johnson according to the section of law he was charged with.
In his judgment, Justice Oweibo sentenced the convict to five years imprisonment.
