Segun Odeyemi, a driver, was convicted and sentenced today to ten years in jail for trafficking in 3,842.3 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa, a prohibited narcotic equivalent to cocaine and heroin.
The punishment was handed down by Justice Akintayo Aluko, who presided over the court after the 38-year-old driver pleaded guilty to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s (NDLEA) two-count allegation of unlawful trafficking and dealing in the forbidden narcotic.
Prior to the driver’s conviction, the NDLEA told the court, through its prosecutor, N. J. Mamza, that he was apprehended on July 1, 2023, with the illegal shipment weighing 3, 842.3 kg, at Eleganza Road, Lekki Area, Lagos, Lagos State.
Mamza testified in court that the defendant concealed and transported the prohibited material in a white truck.
The prosecutor told the court that the convict’s illicit actions violated sections 11 (b) and 11(c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N 30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, and were penalized under the same Act.
The convicted driver pled guilty to both counts of the charge.
Following his guilty plea, the prosecutor requested that the court convict and sentence him in accordance with the sections of the NDLEA Act with which he was accused.
However, the defendant, through his lawyer, asked for clemency, claiming that he is a victim of circumstances because the owner of the drug misled him and did not reveal the content that was handed to him to carry.
As a result, he asked the court to temper justice with mercy in punishing him, and he considered a fine in lieu of a custodial sentence.
After hearing all of the arguments presented by both the prosecutor and the convict’s attorney, Justice Aluko sentenced the driver to five years in jail on each count of the charge.
However, Justice Aluko ruled that the sentences on each count be served simultaneously, as well as the date he was apprehended and held.
The judge further ordered that the banned cannabis be destroyed if no appeal is filed within the time limit specified by law.
The driver faces the following charges: “That you Segun Odeyemi Male, 38 years old on or about the 1st day of July 2023 at Eleganza Road, Lekki Area, Lagos, Lagos State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court without lawful authority Trafficked in 3, 842.3 Kilograms of Cannabis Sativa, a drug similar to Cocaine, Heroin and LSD and you thereby committed an Offence as provided for and punishable under Section 11 (b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N 30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
“That you Segun Odeyemi, Male, 38 years old on or about the 1st day of July 2023 at Eleganza Road, Lekki Area, Lagos, Lagos State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court without lawful authority dealt in 3, 842.3 Kilograms of Cannabis Sativa a drug similar to Cocaine, Heroin, and LSD and you thereby committed an offense as provided for and punishable under Section 11 (c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N 30 LFN 2004.”
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