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A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos recently, convicted and sentenced a drug baron, Mr Ejiofor Eliezer, to 10 years imprisonment, for smuggling 2.155 kilogrammes of cocaine to Nigeria,
The court, presided over by Justice Rilwan Aikawa,, convicted and sentenced the drug baron, after pronouncing him guilty of one count charge of unlawful importation of the drug.
National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) made the charge against the convict.
According to NDLEA, through its prosecutor, Mrs Theresa Asuquo, in a charge marked FHC/L/CS/180c/2015, Eliezer was arrested on 5 March, 2015, during an inward clearance of Arik Airline, at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, with 2.155 kilogrammes of cocaine without lawful authority.
According to the prosecution, the offence is contrary to and punishable under section 11(a) of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Eliezer had pleaded not guilty, when he was arraigned sometimes in 2015, and admitted to bail.
The prosecutor, Mrs Asuquo, called her witnesses and tendered several exhibits during trial, which include the seized drug, the convict’s international passport, which were admitted by the Court.
Before the conclusion of the trial, the convict became elusive, the development, which made the court to revoke his bail and declared, wanted by the court. He was later rearrested and the court remanded him in the custody of Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS)
Convicting and sentencing the drug baron, Justice Aikawa, said the prosecution have successfully proven the case against him beyond reasonable doubt and that the defense put up by the convict were not tenable.
Justice Aikawa sentenced the drug baron to 10 years imprisonment.
