Footballer jailed two years over drug trafficking

JUSTICE Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court, Lagos Wednesday sentenced a Brazil-based Nigerian footballer, Umeh Henry, to two years imprisonment for a drug related offence.

 The convict was arrested by the men of the National Drugs Law and Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, on October 6, 2014, during an inward clearance of Emirate Airlines from Brazil via Dubai, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos, with 15 grams of cocaine.

  The convict had on his arraignment last Thursday pleaded guilty to the one count charge preferred against him by the anti-drugs agency.

 At the resumed hearing of the matter Wednesday, NDLEA prosecutor, Mr. Vembe Emmanuel, after reviewing the fact of the case, urged the court to convict the accused as charged. This he said was in consonance with section 218 and 285 of the Criminal Procedure Acts, CPA.

 However, the convict’s counsel, Chief Benson Ndakara, pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy in sentencing his client.

 Ndakara told the court that the convict was a Nigerian professional footballer in Brazil, and that the drug he was caught with was for personal use not for commercial purpose.

 He also told the court that the convict was introduced into drug usage by his friends.

  The convict, who corroborated his counsel’s plea for mercy, said he used the drug because of numerous problems he had. And that the quantity he was caught with while coming to the country was meant to be used personally.

 The presiding judge, who said he was happy that the convict told the court the truth, however, counseled him of the effect of drug usage no matter the problem one may have.

  “I’m happy that your story was constant and that you do not use it for commercial purpose. Because you said the truth God will forgive you. But don’t take drug anymore, any relief it gives you is temporary. When you get out of the jail don’t use it again”, the judge warned him.

 In a related development, a trader, Obijiofor Jones, was also sentenced to five years imprisonment by Justice Mohammed Idris for attempting to smuggle 1.82 kilogrammes of Methamphetamine to Malaysia

 The prosecutor, Mr. Abu Ibrahim, had informed the court that the convict was arrested on May 31, 2014 during the outward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines flight to Malaysia at the screening point of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

  At the resumed trial of the case, Abu informed the court that the convict, who had pleaded not guilty when he was first arraigned last Thursday, had changed his plea. Consequently, he urged the court to allow him do review of fact of the case.

  He was obliged. After reviewing the facts of the case, the prosecutor urged the court to convict the accused as charged.

  The convict in his allocutus, claimed to be a victim of circumstances, as the banned drugs he was arrested with was given to him by someone he did not know his name, address and whereabout.

  He also told the court that when the ‘factory fitted’ bag was given to him he was not aware that it was drugs. He therefore urged the court to temper justice with mercy.

But the judge, before sentencing the convict, described his action as a ‘stupid trust’, querying why the convict could accept the bag from someone he did not know. Thereafter, he sentenced the convict to five (5) years imprisonment starting from the day of his arrest.

Justice Idris also ordered that the convict’s international passport and travel ticket and the sum of $500, which were parts of exhibit tendered before the court be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.