Justice Chuka Obiozor of the Federal High Court, Lagos has convicted and sentenced
a South Africa returnee, Raji Issa Adio, to 38 years imprisonment for trafficking 5. 10 kilograms of banned hard drugs.
Adio, 43, bagged the jail term after the court found him guilty on a three-count charge of conspiracy and unlawful possession of 5.10 kilograms of heroin preferred on him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Radio was first arraigned before the court on the charge on December 7, 2017, and he pleaded not guilty to the charge.
During the trial of the case, NDLEA lawyer, Mrs. Juliana Imaobong Iroabuchi, called witnesses and tendered 13 exhibits which include the banned drugs seized from the convict, his international passport, test analysis of the seized drugs and foreign currencies.
Adio, while being led by his counsel, Chief Lilian Omotunde, defended himself against the charge.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Obiozor held that: “The prosecution has been able to establish all the allegations as contained in the charge against the convict beyond a reasonable doubt”.
Obiozor consequently sentenced the convict to 15 Year imprisonment in both count one and third of the charge while he sentenced him to eight years in count two.
Obiozor pronounced that the convict’s jail terms would start counting from September 3, 2017, the date he was arrested.
Obiozor ordered that the jail term would run concurrently.
He, however, gave the convict option of N1.5 million on count one and three respectively, but no option fine on count two.
NDLEA in a charge marked FHC/L/429c/2017, stated that the convict was arrested on September 3, 2017, during the inward Clearance of South Africa Airways flight to Lagos, Nigeria, at the E-Arrival Hall of the Murtala Mohammad International Airport Ikeja, within the jurisdiction of the Court, without lawful authority knowingly possessed of 5.10 kilogrammes of Heroin which were concealed under his two traveling bags .
He was also said to have or about September 2, 2017, while at South Africa conspired with Segun and Eddie, both reside in South Africa and now at large, to import the banned drug to Lagos, Nigeria
The offenses accordingly to Iroabuchi, are contrary to and punishable under Section 11(d), 11 (a) and 14 (b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
