Indian Hemp Dealer Gets 13 Years Jail Term

Indian Hemp Dealer Gets 13 Years Jail Term

A dealer in Cannabis Sativa popularly called marijuana, Mr. Saidu Sulaiman, was today, convicted and sentenced to 13 years Imprisonment, by Justice Tijjani Ringim, of a Lagos Federal High Court.

Justice Ringim convicted and sentenced the drug dealer to the jail terms, after he reverse his ‘not guilty plea’ which he had pleaded when he previously arraigned before the court.
He was first arraigned before Justice (Professor) Chuka Austine Obiozor, early 2019, where he pleaded not guilty to two counts charge of unlawful dealing in  85. 4 Kilograms of Cannabis Sativa, which he smuggled into the country from Benin Republic.

The offences according to the prosecutor, Mr. Oluwafemi Adebayo, are Contrary to and punishable under 14(b) and 11(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. 
The defendant had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

However, following the transfer of Justice Obiozor to another jurisdisction of the court, the Convict’s case file was taken over by Justice Ringim, who took over from former trial judge and he was consequently rearraigned.

Upon his rearraignment before Justice Ringim, the convict pleaded guilty to the two counts, the development that made the court to call on the prosecution to review the fact of the case.

In reviewing the fact of the charge, the prosecutor, Mr. Adebayo, told the court that the convict, a resident of new garage Alaba Rago in Ojo Local Government Area, Lagos State was arrested on November 28, 2018, at Customs’ Checking point Gbaji, along Badagry-Seme express way, Badagry, with 85.4 Kilograms of Marijuana.

He told the court that the convict conspired with one Rabe, a.k.a. Confirm, now at Large, to smuggle the banned substance to the country from Cotonou.

After reviewing the fact of the charge, the prosecutor urged the court to convict sentence the convict in accordance with the law he was charged.

The convict in his allocutus pleaded with the court to tamper Justice with mercy in sentencing him.

Justice Ringim in his juddgmert, after citing several plethoras of Judicial authorities, sentenced the convict to eight years on count one and five years on count two.

The judge, however ordered that the jail terms to be run concurrently.

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