Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday convicted and sentenced one Obayemi Oyetade to three-month imprisonment for selling a species of cannabis known as “loud” or “Indian hemp” in a hotel in Lagos.
Oyetade was sent to jail after pleading guilty to a three-count charge of dealing in the prohibited drug brought against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
NDLEA’s lawyer, Julianna Negedu had earlier informed the judge that the convict was arrested on July 19, 2025, at Sarah Sam Hotel located at 115 Ogudu Road, Kosofe, Lagos, where he was engaged in selling the banned substance.
Negedu had also claimed that the convict was found in possession of 22.9 grams of Canadian loud, 1.30 kilograms of chocolate infused with Canadian loud, and 900 grams of gummies mixed with Canadian loud.
The prosecutor maintained that the offence violated Section 11(c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, for which he could be punished under the same Act.
Apart from pleading guilty to the charge, the convict also admitted in his confessional statement that he had been selling the banned drug since 2021.
Negedu then urged the court to convict Oyetade and impose an appropriate sentence.
However, the defence lawyer, Emmanuel Okenyi, appealed to the court for leniency in sentencing, arguing that his client had pleaded guilty promptly and had not wasted the court’s time.
He further urged the court to impose an option of fine on his client instead of a jail term.
In his judgment, Justice Dipeolu sentenced Oyetade to three months in prison with an option of paying N1 million as fine.
