A drug peddler, Musa Abubakar, was Friday, convicted and sentenced a hard drugs peddler, to 300 hours community service, by a Lagos Federal High Court.
Justice Abimbola Awogboro who presided over the court, sent the drug peddler to the community service, after he admitted being a hawker of the prohibited substances.
The convicted peddler was arraigned before the court on eight counts charge of unlawful dealing in several hard drugs by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The prosecutor, Mrs. M. I. Erondu, while arraigning the convict, told the court that he was arrested with the drugs on October 17, 2022, at 2022 at Odoba junction, Okera Ogba, Lagos State.
Erondu listed the drugs arrested with the convict as, 2 grams of Cannabis Sativa; 4 grams of Methamphetamine; 0.8 liters of Codeine; 10 grams of Exol 5; 3 Grams of Molly; 3 grams of Rohypnol; 26 grams of diazepam and 1 tablet of Tramadol.
The prosecutor told the court that the offences committed by the convict, 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 admitted selling the prohibited drugs, but told the court that he was only selling it to survive.
Following his plea, the prosecutor urged the court to convict him and sentence him in accordance with the NDLEA that he was charged with.
But the convict’s lawyer, Prosper O. Ojakovo, in asking the court to be merciful to his client, said “the convict is a first the convict, who didn’t have previous record of conviction.
“The court should also considered his timely plea of guilty, as he didn’t waste the precious time of the court.”
Prosper further told the court that his client has been in the custody since October 17, 2022, when he was arrested and that he has become remorseful, with a promise of not to engage in such acts again.
Justice Awogboro after confirming from the prosecutor that the convict did not have previous conviction record, and stated that the prohibited drugs found in his possession, were not up to commercial quantity, she consequently sentenced him to 300 hours community service.
