Woman And Her Sponsor Sentenced To 4 years Imprisonment For Attempting to Smuggle Cocaine To Saudi Arabia

Akanbi Silifat Tunrayo and Adebayo Adeola Wasiu

A woman, Akanbi Silifat Tunrayo and her sponsor, Adebayo Adeola Wasiu, have been handed a four-year jail term by the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State for attempting to smuggle 2.90 kilograms of cocaine to Saudi Arabia.

Justice Daniel Osiagor sentenced the duo on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, after they pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of unlawful export of the banned substance preferred against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The judge sentenced each convict to two years imprisonment with two weeks of community service.

He gave them the option to pay N2 million in place of the jail term, following their plea for leniency.

Earlier, prosecution counsel, Mr. Abu Ibrahim told the court that the defendants committed the offences on April 19, 2023, during the outward clearance of passengers on a Qatar Airways flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia via Doha.

The court heard that Wasiu connived with the duo of Alhaja Rashidat a.k.a. Mama Yinka and one Asumon – both now at large –  and procured the second convict Tunrayo, to smuggle the banned drug.

The convicts starched the drug with cotton wool.

The offences contravened sections 11 (b) and 21 (2) (d) of the NDLEA Act, 2004.