By Jude-Ken Ojinnaka
Justice Ibrahim Ahmad Kala of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Friday convicted and sentenced a drug trafficker, Olorunfunmi Saheed Olakunle to two years imprisonment for importing 1.80 Kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa, a narcotic substance similar to Cocaine, Heroin and LSD from United States of America into Nigeria.
Justice Kala convicted the defendant after he pleaded guilty to the two counts charge preferred against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)
In view of the the guilty plea by the defendant, the NDLEA prosecutor, Mr Augustine Nwagu applied for a review of the facts of the case.
He told the court how the 38 years old defendant was arrested at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Ikeja Lagos on January 4, 2024 during the clearance of Cargo on Egypt Air from the United States of America with imported 1.8 Kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa without lawful authority.
Olorunfunmi Saheed Olakunle committed the said offence with one Semiu Salami who is at large.
The offence committed is contrary to and punishable under Sections 14(b) and 11(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Laws of Federation of Nigeria 2004
A prosecution witness had told the court that the substance was brought to the forensic department of the NDLEA where it was tested and analyzed and ascertained to be Cannabis Sativa.
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The prosecution tendered items comprising the test analysis form, statement of the defendant, the result sheet for the analysis and a bulk of the cannabis Sativa sealed in big brown envelope as evidence. The items tendered were admitted as exhibits.
After the review of the facts, the court asked the defendant if he has any objection to the facts submitted by the prosecution. He said that he has no objection.
The prosecutor then urged the court to convict and sentence the defendant as charged in accordance with the NDLEA Act.
After going through the facts and evidence of the prosecution which was not controverted, Justice Kala found the defendant guilty and convicted him as charged.
In her allocutus, the defence counsel Mrs Kolawole Bolanle urged the court to tamper justice with mercy for the convict.
She told the court that the convict is sober and remorseful, adding that he did not waste the precious time of the court. She prayed the court to give the convict a non custodian sentence and give him an option of fine.
After listening to the allocutus by the defence counsel, Justice Kala sentenced Olorunfunmi Saheed Olakunle to 2 years imprisonment or payment of N200,000 fine in lieu of prison term. In addition to payment of fine, he is to do community service work for 30 days.
The court ordered that the substance recovered from the convict should be burnt.