Dispatch Rider Jailed For Distributing Prohibited Drugs
A 33 year-old dispatch rider, Yahaya Nuru, has been convicted and sentenced to a total of 7 years imprisonment, by a Federal High Court, Lagos, over unlawful distribution of large quantities tramadol, a prohibited analgesic drugs.
Justice Musa Kakaki who presided over the four counts charge filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), convicted and sentenced the dispatch rider, after he pleaded guilty to the charges on Monday.
The operatives of NDLEA have brought the convicted dispatch rider before the court in a charge marked FHC/L/1118c/2025.
At the arraignment of the convict on Monday, the prosecutor, Barrister Peter Ekuri, informed the court that the convicted dispatch rider alongside others now at large, committed the alleged offences on November 2025, at 6, Ashogbon Street, Lagos Island.
The prosecutor specifically informed the court that the convicted man, conspired with the dou of one Abdulrazak and Chukwu Emmanuel Emeka, to commit the illegal acts.
He further told the court that the convict was arrested 4.12 Kilograms of Tramadol Hydrochloride, 40 milliliters of Tramadol Hydrochloride Injection, 1 litre of Diazepam Injection and 1.04 litres of Tramadol Hydrochloride Injection, which he intended to dispatch to respective owners.
He told the court that the illegal acts of the convict contravened sections 20 (1)(a) and 11 (c) but punishable under Section 20 (2)(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004.
The convict had pleaded guilty to the offences when the charges were read to him.
Based on his plea, the prosecutor after reviewing that facts of the case, as well tendered all exhibits in the matter, urged the court to convict and sentence based on his guilty plea, exhibit tendered and in accordance to section 247(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
However, the convict through his lawyer, prayed the court to tamper justice with mercy in sentencing him, based on his guilty plea, and being a first time offender, who did not waste the precious time of the court.
Based on the convict’s allocutor and with the evidence from the prosecutor that the convict was a first time offender, Justice Kakaki sentenced the dispatch rider to four years, five months, one month and three years in counts one, two, three and four.
The judge however ordered the convicted dispatch rider to pay the sum of N300, 000, N30, 000, N50, 000 and N200, 000 as fine option to each of the counts respectively.
The judge also ordered that both the sentences and the fine option shall run concurrently.
