Mother of 4 Jailed for Drug Trafficking

Ladipo Sanusi/

A Federal High Court, in Lagos, today sentenced a mother of four to 10 years imprisonment for cocaine trafficking.

Justice Rilwan Aikawa convicted 56-year-old Owolabi Oluwayemisi Modinat after she pleaded guilty to a one-count charge leveled against her by the National Drug Laws Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The defendant pleaded guilty when she was first arraigned before the court and maintained her plea when the matter came up today.

After reviewing the facts of the case, the prosecutor Ibrahim Abu tendered the defendant’s harmonized ECOWAS passport marked 1808098653, an E-ticket and boarding pass as exhibits.

Other evidences presented by the prosecutor included three written statements of the defendant, two request of scientific aid forms, a drug analysis report, two evidence pouches, two transparent pouches containing bulk of the drug, two scientific report on the drug and a sealed brown envelope with reference number DEA/17/MM/013, which were also admitted as exhibits

The prosecutor, thereafter, urged the court to convict and sentence her accordingly.

Justice Aikawa then pronounced the defendant guilty as charged.

In her alucutor made through her lawyer, Morenike Ogunleye, she pleaded with the Court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing her.

The lawyer said: “My Lord, the convict is a first time offender and she is sober. She is a mother of four children, who single-handedly takes care of them having been separated from her husband.

“In sentencing her, I urge my lord to consider section 416(2)(b)(d) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.”

The judge then asked the prosecutor for the prescribed punishment for the crime as stipulated by the NDLEA Act, to which the prosecutor replied life imprisonment.

Justice Aikawa thereafter pronounced: “I have listened to the plea made on her behalf by the counsel and also listened to the prosecutor that she has no record of crime. I am balancing. 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.”

According to the charge marked FHC/L/301c/17, the convict was arrested with 330 grammes of Cocaine, a narcortic drug on May 19, 2017 at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, during outward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways flight to Saudi Arabia.

The offence is contrary to and punishable under section 11(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

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