By Felix Kuyinu
A member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Tapha Mustapha, has been jailed for drug trafficking.
The 45-year-old driver was arraigned at the Federal High Court in Ikeja Lagos by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, alongside other two violators: Andrew Ukelere and Antony Chiemerem.
During the initial arraignment on April 27, 2024 on charges bordering on conspiracy and illicit drug trafficking, the gang was accused of being in possession of 13.9 kilograms of tramadol and 590 litres of Pentazocine, a psychotropic drug similar to cocaine. NDLEA revealed through it’s counsel, Mariam Erondu, that the unlawful act contravenes Sections 11(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N 30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, and are punishable under the same Act.
Erondu told the court that the convicts were arrested with the drugs on March 19, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The trio, however, pleaded guilty to the charges.
Following their guilty plea, Justice Kehinde Ogundare, presiding over the case, adjourned the matter to Thursday May, 16, for a review of facts and sentence, and then ordered the gang to be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre.
During the re-arraignment, NDLEA counsel, Juliet Negedu, who deputized for prosecutor, Mariam Erondu, led in tendering the drugs and other exhibits which were admitted by the court. Upon the conclusion of the review of facts, Negedu urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants in accordance with the sections of the NDLEA Act.
However, the defence counsels, Lilian Omotunde and Ore-Ofe Ogunleye, in their plea for mercy, prayed the court to award a non-custodian sentence on their clients, being first-time offenders and for not wasting the time of the court.
Omotunde said that Mustapha is a first-time offender who was contracted to deliver a good out of Lagos State, but was caught up by the law. He also submitted that the second convict is a 35-year-old medicine store attendant, who was sent on an errand by his master.
Responding to the defence counsel’s submission, the prosecution urged the court to consider the commercial quantity of the prohibited drug seized from the convicts and the damage it would have done had they carried out their target successfully.
In his judgment, Justice Ogundare sentenced the first and second convicts to two years imprisonment, while the third convict was sentenced to a year imprisonment.
The judge however ordered both the first and second convicts to pay the sum of N500,000 each, and the third convict to pay the sum of N100,000, in lieu of the jail term.
