A
56-year-old woman and mother of four, Modinat Owolabi, was on Tuesday sentenced
to 10 years’ imprisonment for cocaine trafficking.
Owolabi
was convicted by Justice Rilwan Aikawa of the Federal High Court in Lagos
State.
She
was arraigned on one count by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency. She
pleaded guilty to the charge.
The
prosecuting counsel for the NDLEA, Mr. Ibrahim Abu, told the court that Owolabi
was arrested on May 19, 2017, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport,
Ikeja. He said Owolabi was found with 330 grammes of cocaine during the outward
clearance of a Qatar Airways flight to Saudi Arabia.
Abu
told the judge that she acted contrary to Section 11(b) of the NDLEA Act, Cap.
N30, Law of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and was liable to punishment under
the same Act.
Her
lawyer, Morenike Ogunleye, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy
in sentencing her, stating that she was a first offender.
Justice
Aikawa said, “I have to consider both her plea and what the law says
about the crime.
“Consequently,
I hereby sentence her to 10 years’ imprisonment, starting from the day of her
arrest.”
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