Court Convicts 2 Drug Peddlers

A Lagos Federal High Court has convicted and sentenced a woman, Adeola Adetutu, 29, and a 54-year-old man, Godwin Johnson, to one and half years and two years imprisonment respectively, for hawking skushies and hard drugs.

The two convicts were handed the jail-term by Justice Nicholas Oweibo, after they both pleaded guilty to the separate charges made against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

While the woman, Adeola Adetutu was charged on a count of unlawful dealing in 3 litres of skushies (an alcoholic drink laced with Diazepam, a psychotropic substance similar to cocaine and heroin).

The man was arraigned for hawking, a two-count charge of Unlawful dealing in heroin and Methamphetamine,

The prosecutor, M. J. Mamza, while arraigning the convicts, told the court that the woman was arrested with the hard drug laced-drink, on June 7, 2023 at 2, Shemoye Street, Adura Bus-Stop in Alagbado area of Lagos State.

She also told the court that the convicted man was arrested with the prohibited substances, on May 23, 2023, at 123, Railway by Fashina, Olateju Street, Mushin, Lagos State.

The prosecutor told the court that the offences committed by the two convicts, contravened Sections 11 (c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Following the convicts’ guilty plea, the prosecutor urged the court to sentence them according to the sections of the NDLEA Acts they were charged with.

But their lawyer, Prosper Oke Ojakovo, in his allocutos, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing his clients.

Ojakovo, in particular told the court that his clients were first time convicts who did not have previous record of conviction, asdsing that they had promised not to engage in crime if given second chance.

Justice Oweibo in his judgment, after listening to the submission of the prosecutor and the convicts’ lawyer, sentenced both convicts to two years imprisonment each.

The judge, however, ordered the convicted woman to pay the sum of N150, 000, while ordering the man to pay the sum of N500, 000 in lieu of the jail-term.