Justice Akintayo Aluko of a Federal High Court, Lagos has convicted and sentenced a businessman, Megwalu Chukwudi Bob-Manuel to four years imprisonment for unlawful exportation of 8.30 kilogrammes of Raphnol, a psychotropic substance under international control.
Justice Aluko handed down the sentence after the convict pleaded guilty to two counts bordering on unlawful procurement and exportation of the prohibited drugs.
The court ordered that the four-year prison term imposed on each of the two counts should run concurrently, with the sentence taking effect from the date of the convict’s arrest.
Justice Aluko however imposed a fine option of N1 million in lieu of the jail-term on the convict, after taking into consideration the quantity of the substance involved and the mitigation presented before the court by his lawyers.
The prosecutor, Arit N Okon, had told the court that the convict committed the offence on July 24, 2026, at the NAHCO Export Shed, a Customs area of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
The prosecutor told the court that the convict, Bob-Manuel, had on July 24, 2026, at NAHCO Export Shed, a Customs area of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, during the examination of a consignment to Nairobi, Kenya, procured one Justina of Tina Travels Service Limited and one Anosie Ebube of Fair Express to cause the exportation of 8.30kg of Raphnol.
The convict was also accused of attempts to personally exported the said drug from the same airport to Nairobi, Kenya, without lawful authority.
According to the prosecution the illegal acts of the convict contravened Section 21(2)(c) and 11(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. And punishable under Section 11(b) of the same Act.
The convict admitted committing the illegal acts and pleaded guilty to the two counts charge respectively.
Consequent upon the guilty plea of the defendant the prosecutor Okon reviewed the facts of the case through an operative of the anti-narcotic agency by tendering relevant exhibits and urged the court to convict and sentence Megwalu Chukwudi Bob-Manuel accordingly.
In his allocutus lawyer to the convict, Chief Benson Ndakara prayed the court to be merciful to his client for not wasting the time of the court adding that he is a first time offender without any record of previous conviction, among others.
Ndakara also prayed the court not to award the maximum sentence but to give his client a non-custodial sentence in lieu of term of imprisonment.
Justice Aluko after in his judgement sentenced the convict to four years on each count. He also ordered that the terms are to run concurrently.
The judge however ordered the convict to pay N1 million as fine in lieu of the jail-term.
The charges against the convict as stated in the charge number FHC/L/CR/661/2026 reads: “That you, Megwalu Chukwudi Bob-Manuel, on the 24th day of July 2026, at NAHCO Export Shed, a Customs area of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, during the examination of a consignment to Nairobi, Kenya, without lawful authority procured one Justina of Tina Travels Service limited and one Anosie Ebube of Fair Express caused to be exported 8.30 kilogrammes of Raphnol, a psychotropic substance under international control, and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 21(2)(c) and punishable under Section 11(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
“That you, Magwalu Chukwudi Bob-Manuel on the 24th day of July 2026, at NAHCO Export Shed, a Customs area of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, during the examination of a consignment to Nairobi, Kenya, without lawful authority exported 8.30 kilogrammes of Raphnol, a psychotropic substance under international control, and thereby committed an offence 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.”
About The Author
