- Lagos Socialite Ariket Jailed 45 Years for Cocaine Trafficking
- The sentences will run concurrently, taking effect from May 19, 2017, the date of her arrest
- During interrogation, Omolara allegedly implicated Ariket as the supplier of the cocaine intended for export to Saudi Arabia
Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced a Lagos-based socialite, Funmilola Arike Ogbuaya, also known as Ariket, to 45 years imprisonment for the unlawful exportation of 1.595kg of cocaine to Saudi Arabia.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the court found her guilty on a three-count charge filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, bordering on conspiracy, possession, and illegal exportation of hard drugs. She was handed 15 years imprisonment on each count.
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However, the sentences will run concurrently, taking effect from May 19, 2017, the date of her arrest.
Justice Dipeolu had earlier convicted the defendant but postponed sentencing until Wednesday following an application by her counsel.
The case, marked FHC/L/124c/2017, stemmed from the arrest of a co-accused, Odeyemi Omolara, also known as Ariyo Monsurat Olabisi, who was intercepted on February 23, 2017, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport while attempting to board an Egypt Air flight.
During interrogation, Omolara allegedly implicated Ariket as the supplier of the cocaine intended for export to Saudi Arabia. Omolara had earlier pleaded guilty and was subsequently sentenced to 25 years imprisonment in 2017 by Justice Hadiza Rabiu Shagari.
At the trial, a prosecution witness, Iyabode Shonibare, recounted how the co-accused raised alarm during her arrest, repeatedly shouting that “Arike has killed me,” thereby linking the socialite to the drug trafficking operation.
