Orphan, 2 Others Jailed 39 Months For Dealing In Indian Hemp

A 21 year-old orphan, Lucky Adesua and two others have been convicted and sentenced to three years, three months imprisonment, for unlawful dealing in 2.050 kilograms of cannabis sativa, also called Indian Hemp.

Others convicted and sentenced alongside the orphan are: Habeeb Yusuf, 18 years and 24 years old Mmaduka Uchechukwu.

The trio were given the jail terms by the Federal High Court, Lagos, on Friday, after they had all pleaded guilty to a count each of the offence leveled against them by the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Justice Ayotunde Faji while sentenced the orphan to Nine months imprisonment for dealing in 700 grams of hemp, Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo sentenced the dou of Yusuf and Uchechukwu one year, six months and one year, for dealing in 1.05 kilograms and 300 grams respectively.

In urging the court to sentence and convict the three hemp peddlers, NDLEA lawyer, Mr. Jeremiah Aernan, told the court that the orphan, Lucky, was arrested on February 8, 2019, at GMG Area of Ajegunle-Apapa, where he was selling the banned ‘weed’, by the NDLEA operatives. While Habeeb Yusuf was arrested on April 24, 2018, at Cele Bus Stop,  along Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, with 1.05 kilograms of the weed.

Aernan also informed the court that the third convict, Mmaduka Uchechukwu was arrested on February 14, 2019, at the Mazamaza Gate of Festac town, with 300 grams of the Indian hemp.

In further urging the court to convict and sentence the trio as prescribed by section 11(c) of the National Drug Laws Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30, Laws of the federation of Nigeria, 2004, Aernan tendered the bulk of seized Indian hemp, their confessional statements, laboratory test analysis and others which were admitted as exhibits by the court.

Following the submission of the prosecutor, the judges convicted the trio as charged.

Before sentencing the orphan, Justice Faji, while reading through his confessional statement, noted that orphan has never been to school, but being used as domestic servant by his adopted father, who ‘inherited’ him after his parents’ death.

The situation which made the judge to described him as a ‘victim of neglect’.

In sentencing the orphan the judge held: “this is obviously victim of neglect. He was never sent to school, he is being used as domestic servant. Having consider his plight, he is hereby sentence to nine months imprisonment from the date of his arrest”.

The judge, however, counseled the convict to use his conviction to turn a new leaf and never engage in any form of crime.