A 27-year-old man, Sherif Tunde, was on Friday sentenced to three months in prison by Justice Patricia Ajoku of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, for trafficking 1.5 kg of Indian hemp.
Ajoku said that she convicted and sentenced Tunde based on the evidence before her and the plea bargain agreement he entered with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
“I believe that Tunde is now remorseful of his action and willing to change for better. He is a young man with a bright future and can meaningfully contribute to the society. However, to serve as deterrence to others intending to go into drug trafficking, Tunde is hereby given a three-month reformatory sentence. The sentence starts from the date he was first arrested and detained,” the judge said.
Before the pronouncement, the defence counsel, Mr Richard Olakunlehin, had prayed the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing his client. Olakunlehin stated that Tunde went into drug trafficking because he was lured with the sum of N300 and a wrap of cannabis per day.
The NDLEA counsel, Mr Raphael Himinkaiye, had told the court that the convict was facing a one-count charge bordering on unlawful dealing in Indian hemp on January 14, 2020 at Monatan, Ibadan, Oyo State.
According to the prosecutor, Tunde was employed by some Indian hemp dealers to sell the illicit substance.
