During his arraignment, the prosecuting counsel, Adebajo, told the court that the defendant was arrested on November 7, 2025, at the Customs Enforcement Unit, Tin Can Island Port, Apapa, Lagos State.
A Lagos-based freight agency manager Adekunle Adebajo has been sentenced to one year in prison following his conviction for illegally importing hard drugs into Nigeria.
The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State convicted Komolafe Gbenga John after he admitted to charges brought against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
John, a manager with a Netherlands-based freight agency company, was tried before Justice Friday Ogazi.
During his arraignment, the prosecuting counsel, Adebajo, told the court that the defendant was arrested on November 7, 2025, at the Customs Enforcement Unit, Tin Can Island Port, Apapa, Lagos State.
The prosecutor explained that John was apprehended with a large consignment of illicit drugs concealed in imported cargo brought into the country.
Adebajo informed the court that substances recovered from the convict included 105.5 kilograms of Molly and 500 grams of Methamphetamine, both classified as psychotropic substances and comparable to cocaine, heroin, and LSD under Nigerian law.
In the course of the proceedings, John admitted his involvement in the unlawful importation of hard drugs, stating that he had been engaged in the illegal trade for some time before his arrest.
He also disclosed that his employer, a Dutch national based in the Netherlands, usually sent such consignments to him for onward delivery to intended recipients within Nigeria.
Relying on the defendant’s guilty plea, voluntary confession and the exhibits tendered, the prosecution urged the court to convict and sentence him in line with the law.
However, defence counsel, Uche Okoronkwo, pleaded for leniency, describing his client as a victim of circumstances and urging the court to consider a noncustodial sentence on the grounds that the convict showed remorse and cooperated with investigators.
After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Ogazi rejected the plea for a noncustodial sentence and sentenced John to 12 months’ imprisonment.
The court further ordered the convict to pay a fine of N1 million, ruling that failure to pay would result in an additional four months’ imprisonment.
The charges stated that John unlawfully imported 105.5 kilograms of Molly and 500 grams of Methamphetamine without lawful authority, offences contrary to and punishable under Section 11(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.