A Nigerian, identified as Babangida Mahmoud, and a Cameroonian, Fofou Dadjo Evariste, were on Tuesday, sentenced to two years in prison for the unlawful possession of pangolin scales by the Federal High Court in Lagos, News About Nigeria reports.
Justice Yelim Bogoro convicted them of the crime and sentenced them to two years imprisonment after the suspects pleaded guilty to the amended charge filed against them by the Nigerian Customs Service.
Mahmoud and Evariste were arraigned together with one Olamilekan Adenekan on a five count charge which included conspiracy, unlawful possession, trading, warehousing of pangolin scales, and perverting the course of justice.
Mahmoud was charged with conspiracy, while his accomplice Evariste, was charged with trying to divert the course of justice, by taking the photographs of undercover personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service, who had been sent to search for the Pangolin scales which were kept in his warehouse.
Michael Oson, the prosecuting counsel, while stating his case, told the court that the convicts, alongside their accomplice Adenekan, had committed the crime between 2018 and 2022, at the No 12 ljora Causeway, area of Lagos State.
Osong noted that the offences committed by the convicts were contrary to Section 516, 3, 4, 20, 11 (b) and 166 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Justice Bogoro, however, granted the convicts an option of fine, ordering the Nigerian, Mahmoud, to pay the sum of N100,000, while the second convict, the Cameroonian, Evariste, was ordered to pay the sum of N300,000, as a fine option to the sentence.
