2 Indian Hemp Peddlers Jailed
The duo of Ogbonna Orji, 22 and Ibrahim Dauda, 35, have been convicted and sentenced to 2 years and nine months jail terms respectively, by a Lagos Federal High Court, for trading in Indian hemp also known as marijuana.
While Ogbonna was given the jail-term by Justice Nicholas Oweibo, Ibrahim was given the nine months jail-term by Justice Maureen Onyentenu, after they were found guilty of one count each of unlawful dealing in the band weeds.
Ogbonna was arraigned in a charge marked FHC/L/106c/2020, before Justice Oweibo’s court by the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) lawyer, Mr. Jerry Aernan, for unlawful dealing in the banned weed, weighing 6.6 kilograms.
Aernan told the court that the convict was arrested by the NDLEA operatives on February, 23, 2020, at Ijora area of Lagos, where he was selling the weeds to his customers.
While in the case of Ibrahim, whose charge number reads FHC/L/645c/2020, the prosecutor, Mr. Aernan, told the court that he was arrested February 5, 2020, at Bashiru Owe Street, around Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos, with 500 grams of Indian hemp, which he was selling to his clients.
The prosecutor told the court that the offence committed by the two Indian hemp sellers, is contrary to and punishable section 11(c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act. Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004
The two convicts, through their lawyers, pleaded with the court to have mercy on them, as they have learned their lessons while since they were arrested and kept in the NDLEA’s custody.
They also promised not to go back crimes, if given opportunities.
Following their plea for mercy, Justice Oweibo, awarded Ogbonna two years jail -terms. While also ordered that the jail starts from the date of his arrest.
Justice Onyetenu, in her judgment, sentenced Ibrahim to nine months imprisonment, starting from the date of his arrest. He was however given a N250, 000 fine, as an option to the jail terms.
