A 21 year-old woman, Taiye Ishola and two men, were today, convicted and sentenced to 400 and 600 hours community services respectively, by a Lagos Federal High Court, for trafficking in 1.3 Kilograms of Cannabis Sativa.
The two men are: Damola Adebayo, 23 and 25 years old Kudus Bolaji.
The trio were convicted and ordered to perform the community services by Justice Abimbola Awogboro, after they all pleaded guilty to the two counts charge of conspiracy and unlawful dealing in the prohibited weeds, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The pregnant woman and the two men, according to the prosecutor, M. J. Mamza, were arrested with the Cannabis on March 17, 2023, at Ago Street, Mushin, Lagos State.
The prosecutor told the court that the offences committed by the convicts, are are contrary to Sections 11 (c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, and punishable under the same Act.
All the convicts admitted committing the offences and pleaded guilty to the charges made against them.
Following their guilty plea, the prosecutor, asked the court to sentence them according to the sections of the laws they were charged with.
But the convicts’ lawyer, Oreofe Ogunleye of De-Grace LP, pleaded with the court to be merciful with her clients in terms of sentence.
Ogunleye, particularly urged the court to consider her clients’ timely guilty plea and state of health of the pregnant woman, whom she said will soon ‘put to bed’. Adding that they first term convicts, who did not have previous record of crime of conviction.
The lawyer, while citing series of legal authorites, urged the court to give her clients non-custodian sentence.
The prosecutor, M. J. Mamza, agreed with the counsel’s submissions that the convicts are first time offenders who did not have previous record of crime or conviction.
Delivering judgment on the charge, Justice Awogboro, after citing series of legal authorites, sentenced the pregnant woman to 400 hours community, while the two men were were ordered to perform 600 hours community service.
