Justice B.O. Quadri
of the Federal High Court Abuja has sentenced a 55 year old female pilgrim
Binuyo Basirat Iyabo, caught last September smuggling 76 pellets of
cocaine
weighing 931 grammes to Medina, Saudi Arabia to ten years imprisonment with hard
labour with effect from yesterday., March 1st.In his judgement delivered on
Monday February 27, 2017 Quadri said that the sentence will serve as a
deterrent to others. Besides, he lambasted the convict for not revealing the
identities of her sponsors.
LIB previously
reported that Binuyo tested positive to narcotic ingestion at the Nnamdi
Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja while on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia
last September. She was immediately placed under observation by officials of
the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) where she excreted seventy-six
(76) pellets of substances found to be cocaine.
NDLEA commander at
the Abuja airport, Hamisu Lawan said that the convict hails from Irepodun local
government area of Kwara State. She is married with three children and a trader
at dosumu market, Lagos. In her statement to the NDLEA, she agreed to smuggling
the drugs for a fee.
"I am a trader
in Lagos, married with three children. I wanted to expand my cosmetic business
but I have no money. My sponsor offered to foot my expenses to Saudi on
pilgrimage. I was excited until I was asked to take drugs along. I wanted to
decline but considering the offer of a million naira, I accepted. I swallowed
the drugs in Lagos and took flight to Abuja on my way to Medina but I was
caught in the process" she stated.
Chairman/Chief
Executive of the Agency, Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (retd.) while
applauding the sentence warned against drug trafficking.
"The war
against drug trafficking in Nigeria is on course. Stopping the woman from going
to Saudi with the drugs was highly commendable and the punishment is right. No
drug traffickers shall go unpunished" he stated
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