Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court in Lagos sentenced 60-year-old Chinese woman Ting Hong Kiong to two years in prison for importing 31 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa.[1] She pleaded guilty to a one-count drug-trafficking charge brought by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria’s anti-drug agency.[1] The court imposed the two-year term without an option of a fine.[2] The judge ordered that the term run from 17 May 2026, the date of her arrest.[1]
Prosecutor Cyril Osaigbo told the court that Kiong was arrested at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, during the inward clearance of passengers on an Emirates Airlines flight from Bangkok, Thailand, via Dubai.[1] He said she was found in possession of 31 kg of cannabis sativa without lawful authority.[1]
Defence counsel Chief Benson Ndakara urged the court to temper justice with mercy, saying Kiong had shown remorse by promptly pleading guilty and had not wasted the court’s time.[1] He asked for a non-custodial sentence or a fine, offering to bear the financial consequences himself.[1] He described her as a ‘victim of circumstances’, saying she had fallen under the influence of a person who presented himself as a lover but had ulterior motives.[1] Justice Kakaki said the court could not ignore the seriousness of drug trafficking and its consequences for society and Nigeria’s image.[1] He held that Kiong knew what she was doing and that the prevalence of hard drugs made an appropriate sentence necessary.[1]