For trafficking 116.5 kilograms of Cannabis Indica, a drug similar to cocaine, heroine and LSD, Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court, Lagos today asked two drug traffickers, Olufemi Adeluka and Idowu Onasanya
to pay the sum N1 million fine each or in the alternative go to five years imprisonment.
Justice Oweibo handed down the imprisonment term and the option of fine following the arraignment of the two drug traffickers before the court on a one count amended charge and their plea of guilt to same.
According to the charge filed by Mr R.J Hinmikaiye, a prosecutor from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, OLUFEMI ADELUKA AND IDOWU ONASANYA, both males, were alleged to have on about the 11™ day of July, 2023 at Tincan Island Port, Lagos without lawful authority dealt in 116.5 Kilogrammes of Cannabis Indica which is similar to a narcotic drug Cocaine, Heroin or LSD and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 11(c) of the NDLEA ACT CAP N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004,
When the matter came up for trial today, the prosecuting counsel, Mr R. J Imikhaiye from the NDLEA told Justice Nicholas Oweibo that he has a one count amended charge pending before the court and urged the court to direct that the charge be read so that the defendants can take thier plea.
Consequently, the charge was read and the defendants pleaded guilty to same.
Following the guilty plea of the defendants, Himikhaiye told the court that the prosecution is ready to review the facts of the case a request that was granted by Justice Oweibo.
The facts of the case was subsequently reviewed by Hinmikaiye and he urged the court to convict the defendants as charge based on their plea of guilt to the offense and and evidence tendered and admitted by the prosecution.
Justice Oweibo subsequently convicted the defendants.
Following thier conviction, thier counsel, U. Okoronkwo in his allocutus pleaded for mercy on behalf of the convicts, adding that they have learnt thier lesson and would not go back into committing crime.
Okoronkwo also urged the court to imposed a non – custodian sentence on the convicts by imposing fine instead of term of imprisonment.
Justice Nicholas Oweibo in his ruling after listening to Okoronkwo imposed a fine of one million fine on each of the defendants or in the alternative a five years improvement.
The charge against the defendants reads:
That you OLUFEMI ADELUKA AND IDOWU ONASANYA, both males, adults on or about the 11™ day of July, 2023 at Tincan Island Port Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court without lawful authority dealt in 116.5 Kilogrammes of Cannabis Indica which ts a narcotic drug similar to Cocaine, Heroin or LSD and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 11(c) of the NDLEA ACT CAP N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004,
