A Turkey-based Nigerian passenger, Anoke Roomy, was on Thursday sentenced to 12 months imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Lagos for attempting to unlawfully export 600 grams of tramadol, a controlled substance.
Justice Akintayo Aluko convicted and sentenced Roomy to 12 months imprisonment following his guilty plea to a charge filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency against him.
However, the court granted him the option to pay a fine of N300,000 instead of serving the prison term.
Earlier during his arraignment, the NDLEA prosecutor, Abu Ibrahim, told the court that Roomy was arrested on November 15, 2024, during the screening of passengers boarding Ethiopian Airlines at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja.
He said that Roomy, holding a Nigerian passport numbered B51272212, was traveling from Lagos to Turkey via Addis Ababa when the tramadol was discovered.
The prosecutor stated that the offence committed by Roomy contravened Section 11(b) of the NDLEA Act, CAP N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. The offence is punishable under the same Act.
The convict pleaded guilty when the charge was read to him.
Following his plea of guilty, the prosecutor urged the court to convict and sentence him in accordance with the section of the NDLEA Act he was charged with.
Roomy’s lawyer, Augustine Nwagu, pleaded for leniency during sentencing.
He argued that his client was a first-time offender and had expressed remorse for his actions.
He further explained that the tramadol, purchased for N40,000, was allegedly for personal use and not intended for trafficking.
Nwagu urged the court to impose a non-custodial sentence, considering the time Roomy had already spent in custody.
After verifying that Roomy was a first-time offender, who had no previous convictions, Justice Aluko sentenced him to 12 months imprisonment.
The judge also ordered the forfeiture of Roomy’s passport to the Nigerian Immigration Service and mandated the destruction of the drug exhibits if no appeal was filed within the stipulated timeframe.
The judge ordered the convict to pay the sum of N300, 000, as an option of fine in lieu of the jail term.
