Court convicts woman 87 for Indian hemp possession

A Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted an 87-year-old woman, Agbomabiwon Seriki, for unlawful possession of 10.3 kilogrammes of Indian hemp.

The judge, Hadiza Rabiu-Shagari, ordered the convict be remanded at the Lagos state Old People’s Home, Yaba, pending when a member of her family would apply to court for her custody.

The convict, a resident of 9 Osunba street, Oto-Awori, Ijanikin, Lagos, had last Tuesday, pleaded guilty to a one count charge of unlawful dealing in 10.3 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa, a narcotic similar to cocaine, heroin and LSD, when she was arraigned before the court, by the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Upon her plea of guilty, the prosecutor, Aliyu Abubakar, urged the court to adjourn the matter for a review of the facts of the case.
When the case came up, the prosecutor tendered the convict’s confessional statements, drug test analysis, and the bulk of the Cannabis Sativa seized from her, which were admitted as exhibits by the court.

After admitting the exhibits, the court pronounced the 87-year-old guilty as charged.

However, her lawyer, Prosper Ojakovo, pleaded with the court to be lenient in sentencing her on the grounds that she was a first time offender and aged.
In sentencing the convict, the judge said that sending her to prison would not be of any benefits, especially when her age is considered.

In a similar case, the judge also sentenced a 56-year-old woman, Anya Nneoma, to 12 months imprisonment for unlawful dealing in 5.5 kilogrammes of Indian hemp.

Ms. Anya, a resident of vulcaniser area of Seme, Badagry, also pleaded guilty before the court, last Tuesday, for illegal dealing in five kilogrammes of the substance.

She was, however, sentenced to one year in prison at the Kirikiri Female Prison in Lagos.
The offence is contrary to and punishable under sections 11(c) of NDLEA cap. N30, laws of the federation of Nigeria, 2004.

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