by Omowunmi Oladokun
Drug Trafficking can be defined as the moving of illicit drugs in large quantities to another country, either for sale, use or any other criminal act.
Illicit Drug dealers transport them mostly through land, sea or air into another country. Drugs such as Narcotic, Heroine, Indian hemp, Cocaine, Cannabis, Marijuana, Tramadol e.t.c
LEGAL AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK.
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Bill, 2026. Cap 30 of the bill states that Import, Export, Manufacture, or Sale of hard and the punishment for such is Life imprisonment.
It states further when a person is in possession or uses hard drugs, the punishment to be meted out is 15 to 25 years imprisonment.
It states further that Jurisdiction for drug trafficking in Nigeria is to the Federal High Court of Nigeria. It suffices to state that the bill has not been passed into law.
In Chiwendu Ugochukwu v. Federal Republic of Nigeria ([2015]. The Court of Appeal relied on Section 19 of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act.. The prosecution proved all ingredients of the offense beyond reasonable doubt and the appellant was sentenced to imprisonment as regards the matter.
In conclusion, Drug Trafficking is very real everywhere in the world and government must device means to put sanity into the system and regulate trafficking of drugs in Nigeria.
