Court Sentences Man To 20 Years Over Illegal Importation Of 3.35kg Cannabis
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has convicted and sentenced a man, Showunmi David Oladotun, to a total of 20 years imprisonment for importing and possessing 3.35 Kilogrames of cannabis.
Oladotun was convicted after pleading guilty to two counts bordering on unlawful importation and possession of a narcotic drug, made against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The prosecutor, Arit Okon, told the court that the convicted man had on or about August 18, 2026, imported 3.35kg of cannabis from the United Kingdom aboard Allied Airlines, and that the illicit substance was discovered at the Sachol shed in the terminal area of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, without lawful authority.
The prosecutor further informed the court that the convicted man on August 20, 2026, at a Market in Ikate, Lekki, Lagos, without lawful authority, possessed the said illicit drug.
The convict’s acts, according to the prosecutor were said contrary to Section 11(a) and 20(1)(c) and punishable under Section 20 (2)(b) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
The convict admitted committing the offences, hence he pleaded guilty to the two counts charge.
Based on his plea, the prosecutor through an Exhibit Keeper, reviewed the facts of the charge, tendered all exhibits in the matter, and prayed the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.
Responding to the prosecutor’s request, lawyer to the convicted man, Chief Benson Ndakara, prayed the court to be merciful to his client, based on his early plea of guilt and being a first time offender.
Ndakara, while citing plethora of legal authorities also begged the court not to award the maximum sentence but to give his client a non-custodial sentence.
Justice Aluko after confirming from the prosecutor that the convict was a first time offender and after considering the quantity and nature of the substance and the applicable provisions of the NDLEA Act, sentenced the convict to five years imprisonment on count one and 15 years on count two.
The judge while ordered that the jail-term shall run concurrently, however, granted the convict an option of fine of in the sum N600,000 and N700,000 on the two counts.
The court also ordered that the relevant exhibits be returned to the NDLEA for destruction after the statutory period, while another exhibit was forfeited to the agency.
