A Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday sentenced a 37-year-old man, Olayinka Daramola, to 18 months imprisonment for trading in 1.8kg of hemp.
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke sentenced Daramola after he pleaded guilty to the charge.
“In view of the plea of the accused and the evidence before the court, having in mind that the accused is a first offender and having been in prison since his arrest, I am convinced that he has learnt his lessons.
“The accused is convicted as charged and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment which takes effect from the date of his arrest,” Aneke said.
The judge held that the conviction was in accordance with the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Act, Laws of the Federation, 2004.
He convicted Daramola after reviewing the facts of the case presented by Mr Lawrence Odede, an Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Odede was led in evidence by the prosecutor, Mr Jeremiah Aernan, who told the court that he was assigned to investigate the matter.
Odede said that a sample of the hard drug was tested at the NDLEA laboratory, adding that it tested positive to hemp.
He said that during the investigation, the accused made a confessional statement.
Odede said that he gathered the bulk of the hard drug, report of test analysis, certificate of drug analysis and confessional statement of the accused.
The prosecutor tendered all the materials as exhibits, and they were admitted as evidence.
Daramola had prayed the court to be lenient with him, saying that he was a first offender.
He told the court that he had learnt a lesson in a hard way, and promised that he would no longer trade in illicit drugs.
The NDLEA had submitted that the convict was arrested for unlawful possession of the hemp on August 25, at Africa Shrine in Ikeja.
It said that the offence contravened Section 11 (c) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, 2004, Laws of the Federation.
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