Two young traders from the popular Alaba-Rago market in Lagos have been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment each for conspiracy and unlawful dealing in 11 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa, also known as Indian hemp.
Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos delivered the ruling after the defendants, Abubakar Sadiq, 25, and Isah Ibrahim, 27, pleaded guilty to charges brought against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
According to the prosecutor, Abdullahi Buhari, NDLEA operatives arrested the two men on July 3, 2025, at Alaba-Rago along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
The defendants, the court was told, were caught openly selling the banned substance to customers when the operatives swooped in.
Buhari told the court that Sadiq faced a two-count charge of conspiracy and unlawful dealing in cannabis, while Ibrahim was arraigned on one count of conspiracy.
Their actions, he said, violated Sections 14(b) and 11(c) of the NDLEA Act Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
Both defendants pleaded guilty when the charges were read to them in open court.
Following their admission, the prosecutor reviewed the facts of the case and tendered exhibits, including samples of the seized cannabis, before urging the court to convict them in line with the provisions of the law.
In his allocutus, the defence lawyer, Evans Njoku, pleaded for mercy on behalf of his clients.
He argued that both men were first-time offenders with no previous criminal records and had also saved the court’s time by immediately admitting guilt.
Njoku, therefore, urged the court to consider imposing non-custodial sentences or a monetary fine in place of imprisonment, stressing that his clients were repentant and deserved a second chance.
After weighing the submissions from both sides, Justice Dipeolu agreed that the defendants were first-time convicts.
The judge consequently sentenced each of them to six months' imprisonment per count, to run concurrently.
However, the court also gave the defendants the option of a fine. Sadiq, who faced two counts, was ordered to pay a total sum of ₦1.1 million, while Ibrahim was directed to pay ₦500,000 in place of his jail term.
Justice Dipeolu emphasised that while the court acknowledged their guilty plea and lack of prior convictions, the seriousness of drug-related offences required sanctions to serve as deterrence.
Part of the amended charge read in court stated:
“That you, Abubakar Sadiq, male, 25 years old, and Isah Ibrahim, male, 27 years old, on or about the 3rd of July, 2025, at Alaba-Rago, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired to traffic in 11 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa, a narcotic drug similar to cocaine, heroin, and LSD, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 14(b) of the NDLEA Act Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.”
It further stated that Sadiq, on the same date and location, “without lawful authority dealt in 11 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa,” contrary to section 11(c) of the Act.
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