Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa presided over the cases of Igbokwe and Cyprian, sentencing them to five and three years respectively for trafficking 6.243 kilograms of cocaine. However, the court granted both convicts the option of paying fines in lieu of serving the prison terms.
Lagos, Nigeria – The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has handed down a cumulative 17-year jail term to three individuals convicted of trafficking a total of 7.3 kilograms of cocaine.
The convicts — Chijioke Igbokwe, a returnee from Lebanon; Ezechi Cyprian, a commercial driver; and Okeke Igwe, a spare parts trader — were sentenced by separate judges following their guilty pleas.
Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa presided over the cases of Igbokwe and Cyprian, sentencing them to five and three years respectively for trafficking 6.243 kilograms of cocaine. However, the court granted both convicts the option of paying fines in lieu of serving the prison terms. Igbokwe was given the option of a N10 million fine, while Cyprian was offered a N5 million alternative.
Igbokwe was arrested on January 26, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos during the inward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa. Authorities found 2,500 Lebanese pounds on him at the time of arrest, which Justice Lewis-Allagoa ordered forfeited to the Federal Government.
Cyprian, on the other hand, was apprehended nearly a month later, on February 23, 2025, along the Gbagada-Oshodi Expressway. He was found in possession of 4.3 kilograms of cocaine concealed in a white Toyota Sienna.
In a separate judgment, Justice Daniel Osiagor sentenced the third convict, Okeke Igwe, to seven years imprisonment for attempting to traffic 1.1 kilograms of cocaine. Igwe, who trades auto spare parts at the ASPAMDA market along Badagry Expressway, was arrested on February 21, 2025. The illicit substance was discovered hidden in spare parts destined for export.
The court also heard that Igwe had conspired with one Nweze Okechukwu of All Best Cargo in the foiled smuggling operation. He was given the option of a N4 million fine in lieu of imprisonment.
During their arraignment, the prosecuting counsel, Abu Ibrahim, presented the details of their arrests and the charges filed against them. All three defendants pleaded guilty.
Their defence counsel — Benson Ndakara, Anthony Nnamoko, and Dennis Warri — appealed for leniency, urging the court to consider non-custodial sentences on the grounds that the accused were first-time offenders with no prior criminal records.
Despite the pleas, the judges ruled that the gravity of the offences warranted custodial sentences, albeit with fine options.
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