Uyai-Abasi Etido
Justice Ayokunle Faji of Lagos State Federal High Court, has convicted and sentenced a lady, identified as Bilikisu Lawal to one year in prison for the unlawful possession of five kilograms of cannabis sativa, sometimes known as Marijuana.
According to report, the defendant was accused by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency with one count of illegally trafficking cannabis sativa.
During the defendant’s arraignment, the prosecution, Femi Adebayo, informed the court that she was detained on November 2, 2022, at her residence in Odofin, Ebute Onijegi Iworo, Badagry, Lagos State, while in possession of marijuana.
According to the prosecution, the offense violates Section 11(c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act.
The defendant entered a guilty plea to the accusation following her admission of guilt, the prosecutor urged the court to impose a legal penalty.
In her request for leniency, the inmate informed the court that she was an HIV sufferer who had no one to care for her.
Noting that she used the profits from the Indian hemp to support herself, her children, and her elderly mother.
The judge also demanded medical evidence to support her claim, which she provided.
Friday, Justice Faji imposed a one-year sentence on the convicted woman, stating that her illness was not one that could not be managed by the Nigerian Correctional Services.
The judge instructed NCOS staff to guarantee that the convicted individual received sufficient medical care while incarcerated.