A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced a 35-year-old woman, Kuburat Ojulari, to four months of community service after she pleaded guilty to drug trafficking.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arraigned Ojulari on a one-count charge of trafficking 500 grammes of cannabis sativa, a narcotic prohibited under Nigerian law. She was arrested on April 24 in the Ijora areaof Lagos.
Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Musa Kakaki sentenced the convict to community service to be monitored by the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS).
“The convict shall also undergo counselling sessions during the service period. Failure to comply with these terms will result in a six-month prison sentence,” the judge warned.
Prosecution Presents Evidence
Earlier, the NDLEA prosecutor, Ms. Ifeoma Erondu, told the court that Ojulari was apprehended with the illicit substance concealed in a black nylon bag. She noted that cannabis is classified as a restricted narcotic, alongside heroin and cocaine, and is prohibited under Section 11(c) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation, 2004.
Erondu presented several exhibits in court through a prosecution witness, Mr. Obadiah Tanyishi, an NDLEA exhibit officer. Items tendered included:
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A certificate of test analysis
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Packaging of substance form
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Request for scientific aid form
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Drug analysis form
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The bulk of the seized substance
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And a statement from the defendant
Following the guilty plea and the submission of evidence, the prosecutor urged the court to convict Ojulari accordingly.
Plea for Leniency
Defence counsel, Mr. G.U. Okaka, appealed to the court for leniency, noting that the convict was a first-time offenderand had shown genuine remorse.
Justice Kakaki took the plea into consideration in opting for a non-custodial sentence.
