Ladipo Market spare parts dealer bags 2yrs jail term for importation of 5.1kg Methamphetamine
By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Thursday sentenced one Isaac Onwumere to two years imprisonment for importing 5.01 kilogrammes of Methamphetamine, a narcotic drug similar to Cocaine, Heroin and LSD.
However, the judge granted the convict an option of N2 million fine in lieu of imprisonment.
When the matter came up for trial on Thursday, Counsel to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), Mr Kumle Adebajo told the court that the prosecution has a two counts charge pending before the court and urged the court to order that the charge be read so that the defendant can take his plea.
Consequently, the charge was read and Onwumere pleaded guilty to same.
Following the guilty plea of the defendant the prosecutor informed the court of his readiness to review the facts of the matter which he did by tendering all relevant exhibits and the extra-judicial statement of the defendant.
He then urged the court to convict the defendant in accordance with relevant sections of the NDLEA Act, the evidence adduced by the prosecution and the admittance of guilt by the defendant.
After reviewing the exhibits, the admittance of guilt by the defendant and the relevant provisions of the law, Justice Kakaki pronounced the defendant guilty as charged.
In his allocutus on behalf of the defendant, defendant counsel Barrister Augustine Ndubuisi pleaded for mercy on behalf of the defendant, adding that Onwumere is a first time offender with no record of past crime. He added that the defendant did not waste the precious time of the court by pleading guilty at the first instance.
Ndubuisi said the defendant has been remorseful as he had learnt a lesson while in NDLEA custody and will do things differently if given another opportunity.
“I plead for for an option of community service instead of custodian sentence as the essence of justice is reformatory and not punitive.
Delivering judgement ,Justice Kakaki sentenced the convict to two years imprisonment or in the alternative, an option of N2million fine .
The charge against the defendant reads:
That you ISAAC ONWUMERE, Male, Adult, and PERPETUAL NNEAMAKA
LONGE, Female, Adult (Now at large), on or about the 42nd day of December, 2024, at the Ladipo Spare Parts Market, Lagos State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without lawful authority, conspired among yourselves to import 5.001 kilogrammes of Methamphetamine, a narcotic drug similar to Cocaine, Heroin and LSD and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 14(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004.
COUNT 2
That you ISAAC ONWUMERE, Male, Adult, and PERPETUAL NNEAMAKA LONGE, Female, Adult (Now at large), on or about the 12th day of December, 2024, at the Ladipo Spare Parts Market, Lagos State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without lawful authority, imported 5.001 kilogrammes of Methamphetamine, a narcotic drug similar to Cocaine, Heroin and LSD and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 11(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act Cap N30 Laws of e Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004.
