By Robert Egbe
A Federal High Court in Lagos Wednesday convicted two men for unlawfully dealing in Cannabis Sativa, popularly known as marijuana.
Justice Rilwan Aikawa sentenced Ndubuisi Chinedu a 21-year-old man with physical disability, to four months imprisonment, for dealing in 1.6 kilograms of marijuana.
In a separate trial, the judge sentenced 25 year-old Abdullahi Yaro to three years imprisonment, for dealing in 350 grams of the banned substance.
The sentences followed their pleas of “guilty” to one count each of drug dealing pressed against them by the National Drug Laws Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Prior to the sentence, the defendants, each of whom elected to represent himself, pleaded to be given a second chance.
Ruling on Chinedu’s allocutus, Justice Aikawa gave him an option of N50,000, fine.
Earlier, NDLEA counsel Jeremiah Aernan told the court that Chinedu was arrested on August 8, 2020, at Lekki Phase 1 in Lagos, while hawking the substance.
Similarly, the court heard that Abdullahi, was arrested on July 12,, at Alade Market, Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos State, while selling the psychoactive drug.
The prosecutor told the court that the offences contravened Section 11(c) of the NDLEA Act, 2004.