A Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday sentenced a 27-year-old man, Moses Raphael, to four years in prison over drug trafficking.
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke sentenced the accused after he pleaded guilty to the charge preferred against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and asked for leniency.
He said: “I have carefully considered the plea for leniency as rendered by the accused, particularly of the fact that the accused pleaded guilty, thereby saving the time of the court.
“While the court may be inclined to tempering justice with mercy, one cannot shut his eyes to the harm drug issues have caused in our society.
“The accused is hereby sentenced to four years imprisonment, beginning from the date of his arrest.
“The drug exhibits are to be accordingly destroyed by the NDLEA.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the accused was first arraigned in October and had pleaded guilty to the one-count charge of drug trafficking.
The prosecutor, Mr Jeremiah Aernan, had told the court that Raphael committed the offence on June 1.
He said that NDLEA officers, acting on a tip-off, arrested Raphael at Agege Railway and recovered about 5.8 kg of hemp him.
According to Aernan, Raphael, who was a dealer in the restricted substance, was subsequently arrested and detained.
“The offence is said to have contravened the provisions of Section 11 (c) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30 Laws of the Federation 2004,” he said.
