Nigerian Law Tough On The Ordinary, Soft On The Rich! Court Sentences 36 Year Old to Life Imprisonment for Importing Cocaine.

A Federal High Court in Abuja Friday sentenced to life imprisonment, a 36-year old Nigerian for unlawful importation of cocaine.

Calistus Sunday Chukwukelu, who said he had planned to get married later this year, was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on January 1 while returning to the country, via an Ethiopia Airline flight from Sao-Polo, Brazil.

He was arrested by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) with 1.470 kilogramme of cocaine. He was consequently charged under Section 11 (a) of the NDLEA Act, which prescribed a maximum sentence of life imprisonment on conviction.

When the charge was read to Chukwukelu Friday, he pleaded guilty, following which he was convicted by Justice Adeniyi Ademola. Justice Ademola said his plea of leniency was insufficient to dissuade the court from sentencing him to life imprisonment.

The judge held that aside that the law under which Chukwukelu was charged prescribed life imprisonment, evidence from his international passport indicated that he was not a novice in the trade.