A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced an ex-footballer, Okafor Emmanuel Junior, to five years imprisonment for drug trafficking starting from the date of his arrest.
The prosecutor, Augustine Nwagu, had told the court that Emmanuel was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, with 1.4 kilograms of cocaine upon arriving the country from Brazil on September 26, 2022.
The offense contravened section 11(a) of the NDLEA Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and is punishable under the same Act.
After he pleaded guilty to the charges, the prosecutor asked the court to sentence him in accordance with the section of the law he was charged with.
His lawyer, Dennis Warri, however, pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy in sentencing him as he has become remorseful since he was arrested and vowed not to get involved in crime.
Ruling on the case, Justice Nicholas Oweibo sentenced Emmanuel to five years imprisonment, starting from the date of his arrest.
The judge also gave him an option of a one million fine in lieu of the jail terms.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the Spokesman of the Agency, Femi Babafemi, had said in a statement that the 33-year-old indigene of Abia State was arrested on September 26 after anti-narcotic officers discovered that he concealed the illicit substance in the handles of his bags and padded the top edges of the bags with the Class A drug.
Okafor, upon interrogation, claimed to be a footballer with the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu FC, where he played for four seasons before leaving for Sri Lanka in 2014.
He later moved to Brazil from Sri Lanka after playing for two seasons but could not advance his football career in Brazil due lack of official documents, Babafemi said.