Justice Daniel Osiagor of a Lagos Federal High Court, on Wednesday, convicted and sentenced two brothers, Imran Taofeek Olalekan and Ishola Isiaka Olalekan, to two years imprisonment, for trafficking in 3.4 Kilogrames of cocaine, a prohibited substance.
Convicted and sentenced alongside the two brothers, was their accomplice in the illicit act, Hamed Abimbola Saheed.
The trio were convicted and sentenced by the judge, after they pleaded guilty to a three count-charge of conspiracy, illegal possession and exportation of the prohibited drug.
Presenting the facts of the case, the prosecutor, Barrister. Abu Ibrahim, told the court that the three convicted men committed the offences on April 3, 2024.
He told the court that the convicted men conspired with the dou of Alhaji Kazeem Owoalade Omogoriola also known as Abdul Qassim Adisa Balogun (at large) and Alhaja Rashidat Ayinke Owoalade also known as Bolarinwa Rashidat Ayinke, said to be at large, to commit the criminal acts.
Barrister Abu further informed the court that the dou of Ishola Isiaka Olalekan and Hamed Abimbola Saheed in behalf of Alhaji Omogoriola and Alhaja Owoalade (now at large) procured Taofeek Olalekan, to unlawfully export the drug to Oman.
He told the court that the offences committed by the convicted men, contravened sections 14(b); 21 (2)(6) and 11(d) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. And punishable under Section 11(b) of the Act.
The convicted men, instantly admitted committing the illegal acts and pleaded guilty to the charges against them.
Based on their guilty plea, the prosecutor, after citing plethoras of authorites, urged the court to convict and sentence them in accordance with the sections of NDLEA’s they were charged with.
However, lawyer to the convicted men, Barrister Uche Okoronkwo, after citing series of legal authorites, urged the court to tamper justice with mercy in sentencing his clients.
Mostly, Barrister Uche, urged consider some aggravating factors, such as non-wasting the precious time of the court, timeously guilty plea of the convicts and that his clients were first time convicts, who did not have any previous conviction record.
He also pleaded with the court to give his clients fine option in lieu of the custodian sentence.
Justice Osiagor after listening to both the prosecutor and convicts’ lawyer’s submissions, sentenced the convicts to two years imprisonment on each of the counts.
The judge however ordered the convicts to pay fine option of N2.5 million and to perform seven day community services, in lieu of the jail-terms.
