Justice P.I. Ajoku of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, on Monday sentenced one Kareem Babatunde, 43 , to three months imprisonment for trafficking 1.2 kg of Indian hemp.
Ajoku said that she convicted Babatunde based on the substantial evidence before her and the plea of guilt entered by the accused.
“In view of the provisions of Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 which spells out the implication of how the conviction of anyone who pleads guilty to an offence should be, I am convinced that Babatunde is truly remorseful and that he could still contribute positively to the society.
“The convict is hereby given three months reformatory sentence.
“The sentence starts from the date he was first arrested and the weed substance found in his possession shall be destroyed,“ the judge said.
Earlier, the defence counsel, Mr Musbau Olapade, had prayed the court to be lenient with his client because he was a first time offender.
Mr Raphael Himinkaiye, counsel to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Oyo State, had informed the court that the convict was facing a one-count charge bordering on unlawful dealing in Indian hemp.
Himinkaiye said that Babatunde committed the crime on July 23 at Oje-Igosun area of Ibadan.
The prosecution counsel said the drug dealer was apprehended with a sack containing 1.2 kg of the illicit drug.
The offence, he said, contravened Section 11 (C )of the NDLEA Act Cap N30, Law of the Federation, 2004.
The court also directed that a 53-year-old woman, Iyabo Busari, arrested with 20kg of Indian hemp on Aug. 29 on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway be remanded in prison.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge and the case was adjourned till Oct. 11 for ruling on bail application and commencement of trial.
