BUSTED! ! Court Sentences Nollywood Filmmaker To 5 Years, See What He Did
A 40- year- old Nollywood filmmaker, Mbadiwe Emeka, who received his education in the United States, has been sentenced to five years in prison for drug trafficking. The Federal High Court in Lagos convicted Emeka for smuggling 17. 30 kilograms of Canada Loud, a variant of Cannabis Sativa, a substance categorized alongside cocaine, LSD, and heroin as a narcotic drug.
The judgment was delivered by Justice Ambrose Lewis- Allagoa after Emeka pleaded guilty to two charges related to the unlawful importation of narcotics. The case was brought forward by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). Emeka was taken into custody on December 24, 2024, during a routine inspection of incoming shipments at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. The prosecution, led by NDLEA’ s legal representative, Abu Ibrahim, stated that the illicit cargo arrived from Houston, USA, under Airway Bill No. 00637337285.
The NDLEA further revealed that Emeka had collaborated with another individual, identified as Uzoekwe Ugochukwu James, to facilitate the importation of the prohibited substance into Nigeria. The prosecution emphasized that Emeka’ s actions violated Sections 21(1)(e), 11(a), 20(1)(a), and 20(2)(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. These laws prohibit the possession, distribution, and trafficking of narcotics.
Following his arraignment, Emeka admitted guilt on both counts. Given his confession, the prosecution proceeded with a summary review of the case and presented all relevant evidence before the court. Emeka’ s defense attorney, Dennis Warri, appealed to the judge for leniency, citing his client’ s immediate admission of guilt as a sign of remorse. Warri urged the court to consider either a non- custodial sentence or an alternative penalty, such as a fine, in place of imprisonment. He argued that Emeka’ s guilty plea had saved the court valuable time and resources.
After weighing the arguments from both the prosecution and the defense, Justice Lewis- Allagoa ruled that Emeka be sentenced to five years in prison. However, the court provided an alternative option, allowing the convict to pay a fine of three million naira (N3m) instead of serving the jail term.
Additionally, the judge ordered that the confiscated narcotics and an iPhone 12 Pro Max found in Emeka’ s possession be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
