Two hard drug peddlers, Enahoro Emmanuel Anointing and Adamu Yahaya, have been convicted and sentenced to three years and nine imprisonment, respectively, for unlawful dealing in prohibited drugs, by the Federal High Court, Lagos.
While Anointing was given the jail terms, by the court presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, Yahaya, was convicted by Justice Ayokunle Faji.
The two convicts, were separately brought before the courts by the operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), a count-charge and six counts charge respectively.
In the case of Anointing, the prosecutor, Mr. Augustine Nwagu, informed the court that he was arrested with 4.40 kilograms of heroin, on October 9, 2022, at Abule-egba area of Lagos.
He told the court that the offence commited by the convict, contrary to section 20(1)(c) and punishable under section 20(2)(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
The convict did not deny the allegation, as he pleaded guilty to the charge.
Upon his plea of guilty, the prosecutor, after reviewing the facts of the crimes, urged the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.
The convict however begged for leniency, and promised not to deal in drug anymore in his life, if given the second chance.
Justice Lifu in his judgment sentenced the convict to three years imprisonment. He was however given a fine of N1 million, in lieu of the custodian sentence.
However, the second convict, was not that lucky, as he was not given the opportunity of paying monetary fine in lieu of his custodian sentence.
The prosecutor, M. J. Mamza, told the court that the convict was arrested with series of prohibited drug on October 17, 2022, at Odobo Junction, Okeira Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos State.
Mamza told the court that drugs found with the convict during his arrest were: 1 gram of Cannabis Sativa, popularly called marijuana; 16 grammes of Tramadol; 0.6 Litres of Codein; Diazepam and pinches of Methamphetamine.
She told the court that the offences committed by the convict, are contrary to Section 11(c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap. N.30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, and punishable under the same Act.
The convict pleaded guilty to all the six counts charge.
The prosecutor, upon the convict’s plea of guilty, reviewed the facts of the charge and urged the court to sentence him according to the sections of the law he was charged with.
But his lawyer, Prosper Ojakovo, urged the court to consider timely plea of guilty by the convict, as a sign of remorseful.
The lawyer told the court that his client being a first time convict without any record of previous conviction, who has also vowed not to engage in crimes.
Justice Faji in his judgment after listened to the counsel’s submissions, sentenced him to nine months imprisonment in each of the counts.
Justice Faji however ordered that the terms of imprisonment should run concurrently and to commence from October 17, 2022, when he was arrested.
