Adesokan Olalekan, 56, was brought before a Federal High Court in Lagos by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on charges of drug trafficking.
The defendant is on trial before Justice Ayokunle Faji on a single count of illegally dealing in hemp, sometimes known as cannabis sativa.
To the modified charge, he entered a guilty plea.
Following his plea, NDLEA agent Mr. Peter Ereche, the prosecutor, Mr. Aondofa Korinjo, went over the case’s facts with him.
A group of NDLEA agents brought the defendant in with wrapped cannabis sativa hidden in a black nylon bag, the witness told the court.
“Samples were taken from the substance and after analysis, it proved positive to cannabis sativa,” he told the court.
A request for scientific assistance form, a drug analysis report, and a certificate of test analysis were among the evidence that the prosecutor next presented to the witness.
Additional evidence presented included the defendant’s confessional statement dated September 28, the bulk of the substance, the package of substance form, and the remaining portion of the substance that was analyzed.
The evidence was submitted without opposition from Mrs. Vivian Ekwegh, the defense attorney.
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As a result, they were admitted and designated as exhibits by the court.
The prosecutor then urged the court to find the prisoner guilty in light of his plea and the available evidence.
Consequently, the defendant was found guilty as charged by Justice Faji.
In his request for mercy, defense attorney Ekwegh asked the court to balance justice with compassion for the convicted individual.
The defendant, she noted, was a first-time offender who quickly entered a guilty plea to the charge rather than wasting the court’s time.
According to her, the 56-year-old defendant had five dependent children and was now regretful after realizing his mistake.
The court postponed the case until November 18 for sentencing after hearing the allocutus.
The offender was placed under remand at the penitentiary facility while the court awaited his sentencing.
The defendant allegedly committed the crime on September 28 at the Ajara axis of Badagry, Lagos State.
He was accused of dealing in 120g of cannabis without the proper authorization.
