Friday, March 29, 2024

Drug trafficking: Pilgrim bags 10-year jail term with hard labour

A Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory and presided over by Justice B.O. Quadri, has sentenced a 55-year-old female pilgrim, Binuyo Basirat Iyabo, to 10 years’ imprisonment with hard labour for smuggling 76 pellets of cocain, weighing 931 grammes to Medina, Saudi Arabia, effective from today.

Binuyo was arrested last September at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while on her way to perform pilgrimage to Mecca.

Delivering his judgment on Monday, February 27, Justice Quadri said that the sentence would serve as a deterrent to others, adding that the hard labour was added because the convict failed to reveal the identity of her sponsors.

Binuyo had tested positive to narcotic ingestion at the NAIA, Abuja and was immediately placed under observation by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, where she excreted 76 pellets of substances found to be cocaine.

The NDLEA commander at the NAIA, Abuja, Hamisu Lawan, said that the convict hails from Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.

Married with three children and a trader at the popular Dosunmu Market in Lagos, Binuyo in her statement to the NDLEA, confessed 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 Arabia 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.

The Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, 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 Arabia with the drugs was highly commendable and the punishment is right. No drug traffickers shall go unpunished,” he stated.

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