* Scales of Justice * Source: Iconfinder
A Federal High Court, Lagos presided over by Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo has convicted and sentenced three men to five years imprisonment each, for unlawful dealing in 559 kilogrammes of Indian hemp popularly called marijuana.
The convicts, Akiti Narteh, 33, Jelili Anu 25 and Kunniji Damilola, 24, bagged the jail term after the court found them guilty of two count charge of unlawful dealing in the banned weed and illegal transportation of same.
During the arraignment of the convicts, the prosecutor, Mr. Jerry Aernan had told the court that the convicts were arrested by the operatives of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), on February 5, 2017, on Ikare Waterway, Ojo Local Government Area, Lagos.
Aernan also told the court that the convicts were conveying the banned weed in a one fibre boat named “My Destiny”.
He said the offence committed by the convicts is contrary to and punishable under sections 11(b) and 11(c) of the National Drug Laws Enforcement Agency Act, Cap. N30, Laws of the federation of Nigeria, 2004.
The three men pleaded not guilty when they were first arraigned on June 8, 2017. But their bail applications were not granted
When the matter came up on September 28, 2017, they however changed their pleas to guilty.
Upon the change of pleas, the court on Monday, ordered the prosecutor, Mr. Aernan to review the fact of the case, which he did on Monday.
Apart from reviewing the fact of the case, the prosecutor also tendered the 559 kilogrammes of the banned weed among others which were admitted as exhibits.
Having reviewed the fact of the case and tendering of exhibits, Justice Oguntoyinbo pronounced them guilty as charged.
However, their lawyer, Mr. Prosper Ojakovo, in his allocator pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing his clients.
Ojakovo told the court that his clients were sea transporters, who conveyed the banned weed for a customer who did not disclose the contents of the bags.
Upon the allocator, the presiding judge, Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo sentenced them to five years imprisonment on each of the counts.
The judge ordered that the convicts’ sentence should start to count from the date of their arrest and to run concurrently.
