Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court Lagos today, sentenced a 55 years old drug trafficker Lawal Idris Olasunkanmi to five years imprisonment for trafficking in 55 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa.
The trial judge however, ordered the convict to pay the sum of N2m in lieu of imprisonment.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, had arraigned Olasunkanmi 55 years old on a one count charge of unlawful dealing in the banned substance.
According to the one count charge, the defendant was said to have on or about the 29th January, 2025 at Olomowewe, Odi — Olowo, Lagos Island, Lagos State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court without lawful authority dealt in 55 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa, a narcotic drug and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 11(c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Ciap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
When the defendant was arraigned today, he pleaded guilty to the charge .
Following his guilty plea , the prosecutor M.I Erondu reviewed the facts of the case by tendering all relevant exhibits and urged the court to convict the defendant as charge.
However, the defence counsel, Augustine Nwagu a former NDLEA prosecutor made allocutus on behalf of the defendant by pleading for liniency on behalf of the convict.
Justice Osiagor after listening to the allocutus, by Nwagu sentenced the convict to five years imprisonment or in the alternative the payment of N2million fine.
The charge against the convict reads:
That you LAWAL IDRIS OLASUNKANMI, Male, 55 years old on or about the 29% January, 2025 at Olomowewe, Odi — Olowo, Lagos Island, Lagos State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court without lawful authority dealt in 55 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa, narcotic drug and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 11(c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cip N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
About The Author
