From Yakubu Busari Jos
For dealing in hard drugs, a Federal High Court sitting in, Jos the Plateau state capital on Monday sentenced one Jude Okeke Okoye to five (5) and two (2) years to a correction centre in Jos prison with no option of fine. The years are to run concurrently.
The convict, Jude Okeke Okoye, 56, pleaded guilty to the crime.
The Plaintiff, the National Drug Law EA told the court that the offence contravened the provisions of Sections 11 (c) of the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Act.
NDLEA head of operations sometimes in July 2017 led a raid on the shop of the culprit and recovered illicit drugs like tramadol capsules.
The trial started in July, 2017 and judgment was entered on the July 13, 2020 with no options of fine attach because each one of the offense read had its provision.
Earlier, prosecution counsel, S Abdullahi, urged the court to convict the defendant and sentence him summarily.
Okoye’s counsel, N.A Nazir pleaded with the court to be lenient, saying the defendant was a first offender.
But Justice Agishi said notwithstanding the quantity of the drugs involved, which was minimal, the law must take its course.
“The law is the law and must be enforced for the sanity of the society,” she said.
Justice Dorcas Agishi said that with the evidence available before her, the convict was not a first offender who supplied the dangerous substances but however, “the convict is not a child but a full grown man.”
She explained that the convict contributed to the destruction of the society through the selling of illicit drugs, which is against the law of Nigeria.
