By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Thursday convicted and sentenced four men, Godswill Zevor; Phillip Erugbe, Agbeko Dumuda and Monday Kponeba to 5 years imprisonment each for conspiracy and unlawful transportation of 1,120 Kilogrames of cannabis Sativa, a prohibited substance.
The trial judge Justice Musa Kakaki, convicted the four men after they all pleaded guilty to the charges of unlawful Importation and transportation of the prohibited weed. There was no option of fine for the convicts.
The charge was preferred against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
According to the NDLEA counsel , Paul Awogbuyi, the convicts were arrested on August 25, 2024, at the sea, along Oniru beach area of Lekki, Lagos state.
The prosecutor had told the court that the alleged illegal acts of the convicted men, contravened Section 11(a) and 11(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004 and punishable under the same Act.
The convicted men who are of foreign nationals pleaded guilty to the charge after it was read to them
Based on their guilty plea, the prosecutor reviewed the facts of the case, and tendered some exhibits which includes: bulk of the prohibited weed concealed in two jumbo sacks, their confessional statements and others.
In view of their guilty plea, exhibits tendered and facts before the court, prosecutor Awogbuyi, while citing plethoras of authorities, urged the court to convict and sentence them in accordance with the sections of NDLEA acts they were charged with.
However, the defence counsel for the convicts, G. U. Okaka Esq. who did not oppose the admissibility of the exhibits tendered, in his allocutus (plea for leniency), pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy in sentencing his clients, based on their earlier guilty plea.
Okaka also pleaded with the court to consider that the convicted men are first time offenders, who did not have any previous record of conviction and besides, pleaded guilty without wasting the precious time of the court.
He further pleaded with the court to give his clients a fine option in lieu of custodial sentence.
After listening to the counsel’s submissions, Justice Kakaki in his judgement held that: “I have discovered that payment of fine has not detered people going into the illicit trade of drug.
“I have also considered the quantity of the drug 1,120 kilograms and the damage caused to the society by the effect of drug, as well as, the statements of the defendants to the effect that they involved themselves with the aim of getting paid for the job.
“Consequently, each of the convicts is hereby sentenced to 5 years imprisonment on each count which is to run concurrently.”
The charges against the convicted men read: “That you Godswill Zevor, male, adult, Phillip Erugbe male, adult, Agbeko Dumuda, male, adult, and Monday Kponeba, male, adult, on or about the 25th day of August 2024, at the sea along Oniru beach area of Lekki, Lagos State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without lawful authority, imported 1,120 kilogram of Cannabis Sativa, a narcotic drug similar to Cocaine, Heroin and LSD and thereby committed an offence provided for and punishable under Section 11(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004.
“That you Godswill Zevor, male, adult, Phillip Erugbe, male, adult, Agbeko Dumuda, male, adult, and Monday Kponeba, male, adult, on or about the 25th day of August 2024, at the sea along Oniru beach area of Lekki, Lagos State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without lawful authority, transported 1,120 kilogram of Cannabis Sativa, a narcotic drug similar to Cocaine, Heroin and LSD and thereby committed an offence provided under Section 11(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004.
