Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted and sentenced a 25-year-old man, Faruk Mumuni, to three years in prison for unlawfully trafficking and dealing with 153.5 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa, commonly known as marijuana.
Justice Dipeolu jailed Mumuni after he pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of drug trafficking brought against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The prosecutor, Buhari Abdullahi, told the court that the convict was arrested along with his mother on August 13, 2025, in the Mushin area of Lagos State. The mother was released after an investigation. He was charged in a case marked FHC/L/755c/2025.
Abdullahi also told the judge that the convict was found to have 149 kilograms and 4.5 kilograms of the prohibited substance.
He 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, which outlines penalties for such offences.
In light of his plea, Abdullahi reviewed the facts of the case and presented evidence to urge the court to convict and sentence him.
In defence, Mumuni’s lawyer, Emmanuel Okenyi, urged the court to show leniency.
Okenyi also argued that his client is a first-time offender with no prior convictions and expressed that he had vowed to refrain from crime if granted a second chance.
The lawyer further urged that the court consider an alternative to imprisonment.
After verifying Okenyi’s claims with the prosecutor, Justice Dipeolu sentenced Mumuni to three years in prison.
Justice Dipeolu, however, ordered him to pay a fine of N5 million instead of serving the full term of imprisonment.
