Mbadiwe Emmanuel Emeka, an America-trained Nollywood filmmaker, was on Wednesday convicted and sentenced to five-years imprisonment for trafficking in 17. 30 kilograms of Canada Loud, a special strain of Cannabis Sativa, a Federal High Court, Lagos. The convicted filmmaker, was given the jail-term by Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Lagos, after he pleaded guilty to the two counts charge of unlawful importation of the prohibited drug by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Prior to his conviction, the NDLEA Prosecutor, Abu Ibrahim, told the court that the convict was arrested on December 24, 2024, during the examination of incoming Cargo with Airway Bill No: 00637337285, form Houston, United States of America at National Handling Company (NAHCO) Import Shed, a Customs Area/Point of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
The Prosecutor told the court that the convict had procured one Uzoekwe Ugochukwu James, to import the banned drug. He told the court that the illegal acts of the convict contravened Section 21(1)(e) and were punishable under Section 11(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
The convict admitted committing the acts and pleaded guilty to the two counts charge. Based on his guilty plea, the court gave the Prosecutor the nod to review the facts of the charge, as well as to tender all exhibits in the charge. Following the review of the facts of the charge and tendering of exhibits, which included: the bulk of the drug, the convict’s confessional statements, iPhone Pro Max 12, and others, the Prosecutor urged the court to convict and sentence him, based on his guilty plea and exhibits tendered.
However, the Lawyer to the convicted filmmaker, Dennis Warri, in his allocutus, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing his client. He pleaded with the court to consider his client’s timely guilty plea, as a sign of remorseful, and for not wasting the time of court. Specifically, he pleaded to the court to give his client a non-custodial sentence, or a fine option in lieu of the custodian sentence.
Deciding on the parties’ submissions, Justice Lewis-Allagoa sentenced the convicted filmmaker to five years imprisonment. The Judge, however, ordered him to pay N3 million in lieu of the jail term. While he also ordered that the bulk of the exhibit and the iPhone Pro Max 12, be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Charges against the filmmaker read: “That you Mbadiwe Emmanuel Emeka, Male, Adult, on or about the 24th of December, 2024 during the examination of incoming Cargo with Airway Bill No:00637337285 from Houston, United States of America at National Handling Company (NAHCO) Import Shed, a Customs Area/Point of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos procured one Uzoekwe Ugochukwu James to import 17.30 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa, a Narcotic Drug similar to Cocaine, LSD, Heroin, and you thereby committed an act which is an offence contrary to Section 21(1)(e) and punishable under Section 11(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004”.
“That you Mbadiwe Emmanuel Emeka, Male, Adult, on or about the 24th of December, 2024 during the examination of incoming Cargo with Airway Bill No:00637337285 from Houston, United States of America at National Handling Company (NAHCO) Import Shed, a Customs Area/Point of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos without lawful authority imported 17.30 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa, a Narcotic Drug similar to Cocaine, LSD, Heroin, and you thereby committed an act which is an offence contrary to Section 20(1)(a) and punishable under Section 20 (2)(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
