A Canada-based Nigerian, Abimbola Daniel, has been sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Lagos for unlawfully importing and possessing 2.5kg of cannabis.
Justice Akintayo Aluko imposed the sentence on Monday after Daniel pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful importation and possession of the prohibited substance.
The prosecution, led by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), said the offences were committed in July 2026.
According to the prosecutor, Arit Okon, Daniel brought the cannabis into Nigeria from Canada aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
Okon told the court that the drug was concealed in a cargo shipment covered by waybill number 07161185795.
He said the defendant had engaged Afriway Cargo and Logistics, located on Anthony Udo Avenue, International Airport Road, Ikeja, Lagos, to clear the consignment on his behalf.
The prosecutor said NDLEA operatives arrested Daniel when he arrived to take delivery of the cargo after it landed in Nigeria.
Investigations subsequently conducted by the agency resulted in his arraignment before the court.
The NDLEA said Daniel’s actions violated Sections 11(2) and 20(1) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, with the offences punishable under Section 20(2) of the Act.
When the charges were read in court, Daniel pleaded guilty to both counts.
Following his plea, an NDLEA exhibit keeper, Abdullahi Musa, presented the facts of the case and tendered the exhibits recovered in connection with the alleged offences.
The court admitted the exhibits in evidence.
Based on the defendant’s plea and the evidence before the court, the prosecution urged Justice Aluko to convict and sentence him in line with the relevant provisions of the law.
Defence counsel, Benson Ndakara, assisted by Dennis Warri, however, appealed to the court for leniency.
The defence argued that Daniel’s prompt guilty plea demonstrated remorse and asked the court to consider that he had no previous criminal conviction.
Counsel also invoked Sections 311(2)(c) and 412(2)(c) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, urging the court to impose a non-custodial punishment.
Justice Aluko, after considering the arguments of both parties, convicted Daniel on the two counts.
The judge sentenced him to five years on count one and six years on count two, amounting to 11 years in prison.
The court, however, gave the convict the option of paying fines of N500,000 and N600,000 respectively in place of the prison sentences.
The first charge related to the alleged importation of the 2.5kg cannabis on July 14, 2026, during the inward clearance of cargo at the Customs Import Shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The second count alleged that Daniel was found in unlawful possession of the same quantity of cannabis on July 15, 2026, at the premises of Afriway Cargo and Logistics in Ajao Estate, Ikeja.
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