‘Teacher’ Bags 3 Months Community Service, N400k Fine For Drugs Dealing
A Self-acclaimed teacher, Azikiwe Oteka, was Wednesday convicted and sentenced to three months community service by Justice Yelim Bogoro, for unlawful dealing in various banned substances.
The 57 years old convict, was ordered to perform the community sentence, in lieu of custodian sentence, after he pleaded guilty to the three counts charges of unlawful dealing in the banned drugs.
In addition to the community service, the convict was also ordered to pay a total fine of N800, 000, 00, as fine.
The convict was formerly arraigned before the court sometimes in February, on three count-charge of unlawful dealing in 12 Grams of Cocaine, 12 Grams of Heroin and 19 Grams of Cannabis Sativa, popularly called marijuana.
The prosecutor, Mr. Lambert Nor, had told the court the convict was arrested on December 9, 2023 at Honda Company Area, Ajao Estate, Lagos State, where he was hawking the banned substances.
The allegation he denied when he was first arraigned.
However, midway to the trial, he charges his plea, and admitted dealing in the prohibited substances.
Consequently, the prosecutor Lambert Nor, received the facts of the charge and urged the court to convict and sentence the defendant, based on his plea, exhibits tendered.
At the resumed hearing of the matter today, the prosecutor, Mr. Lambert, informed the court that the day’s court business is sentencing the convict. The submission which was supported by the convict’s lawyer, Oke Ojakovo.
Based on the counsel’s submissions, the trial judge convicted him and thereafter asked him if he has any allucutor.
The convict, in his plea for mercy, told the court that he was a secondary school teacher in Delta State.
He also told the court that he left his teaching job and started peddling drugs, due to his wife’s death.
He begged the court to have mercy on him as he has learnt his lesson since the day he was arrested.
In the same vein, the convict’s lawyer, Ojakovo, in his allucutor, urged the court to tamper justice with mercy in sentencing his client, on the ground that he is a first time convict, who did not have any previous conviction record.
Justice Bogoro after listening to the allucutor made by the lawyer, sentenced the convict to three months community service.
She also ordered the convict to pay a total sum of N800, 000,00 as fine in addition to the community service.
