Justice Yellim Bogoro of a Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced a 27-year-old man, Okenwa Kelvin Uchenna, to five years in prison for attempting to export 1.3 kilograms of tramadol, a psychotropic substance, to Cyprus.

The judge handed down the sentence after Uchenna pleaded guilty to a threecount charge of conspiracy, unlawful export and possession of prohibited drugs slammed on him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Following his arraignment, Uchenna owned up to the alleged crime and pleaded guilty to the charge. Afterwards, NDLEA’s lawyer, Bibiana Eze, presented the case facts and submitted exhibits, including the seized drugs, in evidence.

In his plea for leniency, Uchenna’s lawyer, Anthony Nnamoko, urged the court to consider his client’s early guilty plea as a sign of remorse.

He emphasized that Uchenna was a first-time offender with no prior criminal record. Nnamoko requested a non-custodial sentence or a fine in place of imprisonment.

In her judgement, Justice Bogoro sentenced Uchenna to one year imprisonment for conspiracy (Count 1), with an option of a ₦1 million fine, one-year imprisonment for unlawful export (Count 2), also with a ₦1 million fine option, and six months imprisonment for possession (Count 3), with no fine option.

Additionally, the judge ordered Uchenna to perform three weeks of community service.

She ruled that both the prison terms and fine options would run consecutively, meaning he must serve the full sentence and pay the fines separately.

The NDLEA’s lawyer had earlier told the court that Uchenna was arrested in October 2024 at the NAHCO Export Shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

The lawyer added that the convict was caught during cargo inspections while attempting to smuggle the banned substance out of the country.

Eze further alleged that Uchenna conspired with one, Kelvin Mooneye, who is currently residing in Cyprus, to carry out the illegal export, adding that further searches led to the discovery of an additional 200 grams of tramadol at his residence at No. 2, Sunny Ogu Crescent, City Hill Estate, Enugu State.

The prosecutor further disclosed that the convict’s actions violated Sections 14(b), 11(b), and 19 of the NDLEA Act, CAP 30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, which prescribe strict penalties for drugrelated offences.