The Federal High Court in Lagos State has convicted and sentenced two Nigerians to between one and half years and four years imprisonment for attempted to traffic Cannabis Sativa, also known as Marijuana, to the United Kingdom.
The convicts – Nnamani Sunday, was convicted and sentenced four years for attempting to export 800 grams, while Jude Onah, 52, was jailed one and half years for trafficking in 7.9 Kilograms of cannabis sativa.
While Sunday, an Enugu socialite was sentenced by Justice Ayokunle Faji in suit No: FHC/L/788c/2024 without an option of a fine, Justice Yellim Bogoro sentenced Onah to one and half years or N1.9 million in lieu of his sentence in suit No: FHC/L/607c/24.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency prosecutor, Mr. Abu Ibrahim, had earlier told the court that Sunday was arrested on August 10, 2024, during the examination of cargoes to the United Kingdom, at the Skyway Handling Company Export Shed, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
Abu told the court that the convict concealed the weeds in Chikki Noodles packs.
He also told the court that the convict had procured one Nwajideopi Samson to export the prohibited drug.
According to the prosecutor, the offences committed contravened Sections 21 (2)(d) and 20 (1)(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and punishable under Sections 11(b) and 20 (2)(a) of the said Act.
However, the convict pleaded guilty to the two counts marked FHC/L/788c/2024, when he was arraigned before the court.
Following the convict’s guilty plea, the prosecutor, after citing some authorities and some sections of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, urged the court to convict and sentence him in accordance with the charges against him.
The counsel for the convict, Anthony Nnamoko, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing his client.
Nnamoko also pleaded with the court to consider a fine option in lieu of the custodian sentence, on the grounds that his client was a first-time offender and for not wasting the precious time of the court.
In his judgment, Justice Faji, after legally considering the submissions of both the prosecutor and the convict’s lawyer, sentenced him to two years imprisonment in each of the counts, without the option of a fine.
Justice Faji however ordered that the sentences shall run concurrently.
Similarly, Justice Yellim Bogoro of the same Federal High Court, convicted and sentenced a 52-year-old drug trafficker, Jude Onah, to one and half years imprisonment for trafficking in 7.9 Kilograms of cannabis sativa, also known as marijuana.
The convict was handed the jail term after he pleaded guilty to three counts of unlawful importation, trafficking and possession of 7.9 Kilogrames of the prohibited weed.
According to the NDLEA, the convict was arrested in July 2024 at the agency’s checkpoint in Badagry, Lagos State.
Earlier, when the convict was arraigned, the NDLEA’s prosecution counsel, Aondofa Korijor, told the court that the convict attempted to bring in the prohibited weed into Nigeria from a neighbouring country, in a Sienna.
The prosecutor said the offences contravened Sections 11(a); 11(b) and 19 of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
After the charge marked FHC/L/607c/24 was read to the convict, he pleaded guilty.
Based on his guilty plea, the NDLEA prosecutor urged the court to convict and sentence him in accordance with the sections of the NDLEA Act he was charged with.
But his lawyer, Oke Ojakovo, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing his client, due to some aggravating factors, which included being a first-time offender and not wasting the time of the court in pleading guilty to the charges.
Ojakovo also pleaded with the court to consider a fine option in lieu of the custodian sentence.
Justice Bogoro after listening to the submissions of the prosecutor and the convict’s lawyer’s plea, sentenced the convict to one year on count one, and six months on count two.
The judge however ordered the convict to pay a total sum of N1.9million, in lieu of the jail term. Justice Bogora also ordered that the Sienna used in transporting the drug be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
