A 29 years old man, Abdulhamid Umatedele, today, told a Lagos Federal High Court, that he became a hard drug hawker, after his motorcycle, popularly called Okada, was confiscated by the official of Lagos State Task Force.
Abdulhamid stated this while making allucutor ‘plea for mercy’, after he was convicted by Justice Abimbola Awogboro, on offences bordering on unlawful dealing in hard drugs made against him by the operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The convict, who claimed to be an Okada rider for over 13 years, since he came to Lagos from Borno State, said he was given the drugs to sell by a friend as a form of assistance, after his Okada was confiscated, to enable him make some money.
The convict was arrested and arraigned before Justice Awogboro led court, on five counts charge.
The prosecutor, Mr. Lambert Nor, told the court that the accused was arrested with the banned drugs on October 17, 2022, at Odobo Street, Oke-Ira, Ogba, Lagos.
Drugs found in his possession during the arrest includes: 41 grams of Cannabis Sativa (popularly called Marijuana); 20 grams of Tramadol; 1 gram of Methamphetamine; 5 grams of Rohypnol; and 1 gram of Molly.
The convict’s acts, according to the prosecutor, contravened section 11 (c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, and punishable under the same Act.
The convict instantly pleaded guilty to the charge.
Upon his plea, the prosecutor after tendering the seized drugs with his confessional statement and other, which were admitted by the court as exhibits, urged the court to convict and sentence him in according with the Provisions of law that he was charged with.
The convict, after narrating to the court what led him to drug business, while assuring that he will never engaged in an unwholesome act, pray the court to jail him if he is brought before the court for such act in the future.
Also, his lawyer, Prosper Ojakovo, pleaded with the judge, urged the court to consider his client’s timely plea of guilty to the charges against him and his remorseful act, to give a non-custodial sentence in lieu of imprisonment.
However, Justice Awogboro in her judgment, sentenced him to four months imprisonment.
The judge ordered that the term of imprisonment should commenced from when he was arrested.
