A Federal High Court in Lagos has slammed a three-year prison sentence on 43-year-old make-up artist, Mary Adebukonla Adekoya, after she pleaded guilty to trafficking 2.20 kilograms of cocaine destined for India.
Justice Musa Kakaki delivered the judgment, convicting Adekoya on a two-count charge of conspiracy and unlawful exportation of the prohibited substance, in a case prosecuted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The convict, who had sought to travel to India aboard a Qatar Airways flight via Doha, was apprehended on June 16, 2025, at the E-boarding gate of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, during the outward clearance of passengers.
According to the prosecutor, Abu Ibrahim, Adekoya admitted to conspiring with one Akeern Ayinde Aderiola, also known as Adekanbi Akeem Ayinde, who is currently at large, to commit the illicit act.
The charges against her contravened sections 14(b) and 11(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Following her initial guilty plea, the prosecution reviewed the facts of the case through a testimony from the arresting officer, detailing the circumstances leading to Adekoya’s capture.
The prosecutor subsequently urged the court to convict and sentence her accordingly.
However, the convicted woman, through her legal counsel, pleaded for leniency, offering a compelling reason for her involvement in the crime.
Her lawyer submitted that his client was allegedly lured into the drug trafficking operation out of desperation linked to her health. He informed the court that Adekoya was seeking funds for a fibroid operation she planned to undergo in India.
The defence counsel argued that her early guilty plea was a demonstration of remorse and urged Justice Kakaki to consider an option of a fine instead of a custodial sentence.
Justice Kakaki, after careful consideration of the plea for leniency and confirming with the prosecutor that Adekoya was a first-time offender with no previous convictions, proceeded to sentence her to three years’ imprisonment.
In a move to enforce the full weight of the law against drug-related crime and to ensure that proceeds of illegal acts are confiscated, the judge granted the prosecutor’s post-conviction requests for forfeiture.
Justice Kakaki ordered that Adekoya’s international passport and all travel documents be immediately forfeited to the Federal Government and remitted to the Nigerian Immigration Services (NIS) for necessary action.
The judge also ordered the forfeiture of her phones and all items found inside Rockford Hotel & Suites, located at 1, Feyisara Street, Off Itokin road, Ajegunle, Sango-Ota, Ogun State.
These assets were deemed by the court to be proceeds derived from the illicit drug trafficking activities.
- Media Report