Kemisola Oye
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Tuesday added to its total haul of convictions the name of 50-year-old Mukaila Idowu courtesy of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.
Mukaila, a driver, was arraigned before Justice Akintayo Aluko and pleaded guilty to one count charge of trafficking in 88.3 kilogrammes of a substance analysed to be cannabis sativa, commonly known as marijuana.
Consequently, Justice Aluko, convicted him after he pleaded guilty to one count charge of unlawful trafficking in 88.3 Kilogrammes of the banned substance and sentenced him to three years imprisonment.
According to the charge, the convict was arrested with the prohibited substance on 30 May 2023, on Otedola Bridge, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Lagos. He concealed the drug in his Toyota Sienna car.
It was stated in the charge read to him in open court that the offence committed by the convict contravened Section 11 (b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N 30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, and punishable under the same Act.
The convict admitted committing the offence and pleaded guilty to the charge preferred against him.
Following his guilty plea, the prosecutor, N.J. Mamza, urged the court to convict and sentence him in accordance with the relevant section of the NDLEA Act which he was charged with.
Counsel to the convict, Barrister Oreofe Ogunleye, in her allocutus, pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy in sentencing her client, saying that the convict is a first-time offender.
The counsel prayed the court to consider the timely plea of guilt to the charge by the convict as a sign of remorse, adding that her client has vowed not to be involved in crime.
Oreofe particularly told the court that the convict was deceived by the owner of the ‘goods’, who hired him to convey the consignment.
She further urged the court to grant the convict a non-custodian sentence or an option of a fine in lieu of a custodian sentence.
After hearing the submission of counsel to the parties, Justice Aluko sentenced the convict to three years imprisonment.
However, the judge ordered the convict to pay the sum of N600, 000, in lieu of the jail term. In addition to the fine option, the judge ordered the convict to perform 100-hour community service, at Eti-Osa Local Government of Lagos State.
Eighteen-Eleven Media