SINGAPORE — For more than two years, Adili Chibuike Ejike had been on death row after he was sentenced to hang for importing almost two kilogrammes of methamphetamine.

But today, the Nigerian national — who had been in remand since 2013 — became a free man.

The Court of Appeal quashed the conviction, as it was not satisfied that Adili, 36, knew that the drugs were in his suitcase which he was instructed by childhood friends — whom he had sought financial help from — to pass to someone else in Singapore.

Two packets of controlled drugs were found hidden in the inner lining of the suitcase.

As Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon read out the judgment today, on behalf of a panel of three judges, Adili buried his head in his hands and sobbed in relief.

Speaking to TODAY after the hearing through an interpreter, Adili said he was "grateful to the Singapore justice system”, and was looking forward to returning home as soon as possible.

"All I want is to go back home and recover from the past years of my prison sentence, before I think about that,” he said, when asked about his plans after he returns to Nigeria.

Adili was 28 years old when he was arrested in November 2011 at Changi Airport.

The unemployed man, who has primary education, had travelled from Lagos, Nigeria to Singapore.

He was found guilty of drug importation by a High Court judge in June 2016.

In April 2017, he was sentenced to the mandatory death penalty when the public prosecutor did not issue him a certificate of substantial assistance.

Adili was represented by Mohamed Muzammil Mohamed and Lam Wei Seng, who were assigned to him through the Legal Assistance for Capital Offences scheme.

Elements to be proven

In the Court of Appeal ruling, the judges said that three elements must be proven to convict someone of drug importation: