Trader jailed 5 years for drug trafficking

A Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday sentenced a trader, Mrs Deborah Ifeoma Ezeano, to five years imprisonment for trafficking in a hard drugs known as methamphetamine. Justice Jude Dagat convicted Ezeano, popularly called Mama Chika at the Oto market, in Lagos Mainland Local Government, Lagos, after finding her guilty of a count charge of […]

A Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday sentenced a trader, Mrs Deborah Ifeoma Ezeano, to five years imprisonment for trafficking in a hard drugs known as methamphetamine.

Justice Jude Dagat convicted Ezeano, popularly called Mama Chika at the Oto market, in Lagos Mainland Local Government, Lagos, after

finding her guilty of a count charge of trafficking in five

kilogrammes of methamphetamine.

The convict, according to the prosecuting agency, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), was arrested at her Oto shop sometime

in November 2014, after a Customs licensed agent, whom she had given the ‘consignment’ on November 12, 2014 for onward export to South

Africa, was arrested and he mentioned her.

She was arraigned before the court on December 22, 2014 on a charge of unlawful export of the said substance.

Ezeano pleaded not guilty to the charge and was admitted to bail in various terms.

During the pendency of the charge, the prosecuting agency, through its lawyer, Mr Ichakpa Oigoga, called seven witnesses, who included the arresting officer, investigating officer and forensic analyst, and

also tendered the seized drug, the result of a laboratory test of the drug and other evidence. The defendant chose to testify for herself.

Delivering judgement on the charge, Justice Dagat, before pronouncing the convict guilty as charged, ruled that the prosecution had successfully proven the charge against the trader beyond every reasonable doubt.

The justice also held that the defence put up by the convict was not enough to absolve her of the charge and pronounced her guilty.