By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
A 40-year-old man, Noah Oke, was on Tuesday sentenced to a prison term of three years over illegal possession of hemp.
However, the court gave him an option of N 1 million fine in lieu of prison term.
Noah Oke was arraigned before
Justice Ambrose Lewis Allagoa, on a one-count charge of drug trafficking. He pleaded guilty to the charge after it was read to him. .
After his plea, the prosecutor Mr Aondofa Korinjo, reviewed the facts of the case and tendered exhibits which were admitted by the court.
He then urged the court to convict the defendant as charged and based on his plea and evidences adduced by prosecution.
Consequently, the court found the defendant guilty as charged and accordingly convicted him.
In his allocutus (plea for mercy), the defence counsel Mr G.U Okaka urged the court to tamper justice with mercy in sentencing the court. He informed the court that the convict is a first offender, a family man struggling to meet the needs of his family.
He has shown remorse and pleaded guilty to the charges without wasting the precious time of the court.
The defence counsel urged the court to give the convict a non-custodial sentence, preferably an option of fine.
In his verdict after listening to the allocutus by defence counsel , the court sentenced the convict to a term of three years imprisonment with an option of N1million fine.
According to the charge. the convict committed the offence on August 21, at the Seme Badagry area of Lagos.
He was said to have been found in illegal possession of kilogram of cannabis sativa, a prohibited narcotics.
The offence contravenes the provisions of Section 11(c) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Law of the Federation, 2004.