Court Jails Hard Drugs Peddler
A 44 year-old man, Olalowo Ibrahim Olatunji, was Tuesday convicted and sentenced to 24 months imprisonment by a Federal High Court, Lagos, for unlawful dealing in cocaine and cannabis sativa popularly called Indian Hemp or marijuana.
Olalowo was convicted and sentenced by Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa, after he pleaded guilty to the two counts charge made against him by the men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The convict, according to the prosecutor, Barrister Peter Ekuri, was arrested with 89 grams of Cocaine and 20 grams of Cannabis Sativa on March 8, 2026, at Victoria Island axis of Lagos, where he was hawking the substances.
The convict admitted committing the illegal acts and pleaded guilty to the two counts.
Based on his guilty plea, the prosecutor reviewed the facts of the case and prayed the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.
But lawyer to the convict, Barrister Uche Okoronkwo, in his allocutor prayed the the to be merciful with his client, for being a first time offender and for not wasting the time of the court.
Barrister Uche also pleaded with the court to award a non-custodian sentence or fine option in lieu of jail-term.
In his judgment, Justice Lewis-Allagoa held that the convict deserved mercy on the ground the he was a first time convict and that the drugs he was arrested with are of small quantities.
The judge thereafter sentenced the convict to 12 months on each of the two counts but with fine option of N1 million.
The judge also ordered that both the sentence and fine option shall run concurrently.
Charges against the convict read: “that you OLALOWO IBRAHIM OLATUNJI “M” 44 years old, on or about the 8th day of March, 2026, at Victoria Island, Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without lawful authority Dealt in 89 grams of Cocaine, a Narcotic Drug similar to LSD and Heroin and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 11(c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
“That you OLALOWO IBRAHIM OLATUNJI “M” 44 years old, on or about the 8th day of March, 2026, at Victoria Island, Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without lawful authority Dealt in 20 grams of Cannabis Sativa, a Narcotic Drug similar to Cocaine, LSD and Heroin and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 11(c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004..”
