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Dada Ahmed, Editor, The Reporters.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced a 76-year-old man, Francis Omofe, to 25 years imprisonment for possession and transportation of a large quantity of cannabis sativa.
Delivering judgment, Justice James Omotosho held that the prosecution successfully proved the two-count charge against the defendant beyond reasonable doubt, leading to his conviction.
“Consequently, he is hereby convicted as charged,” the judge declared.
The court noted that although the convict pleaded for mercy, the nature of the offence required a stiff penalty to serve as a deterrent in the interest of the nation.
Justice Omotosho further observed that Omofe’s act of conveying a huge commercial quantity of illicit drugs, using a vehicle fitted with a police number plate, was particularly disturbing.
He added that the drugs were being transported to northern Nigeria, especially Kaduna State, a region already grappling with terrorism and banditry often linked to substance abuse.
According to the judge, such actions pose a serious threat to public safety and national security, and therefore could not be treated lightly.
On count one, the court sentenced Omofe to 15 years imprisonment without an option of fine.
On count two, which ordinarily attracts life imprisonment, the court exercised leniency due to the convict’s age and reduced the sentence to 25 years imprisonment, also without an option of fine.
The judge ordered that both sentences run concurrently from June 18, 2024, the date of his arrest, effectively leaving the septuagenarian to serve 25 years in prison.
Our correspondent recalls that the case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/286/2024, was instituted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), which listed Omofe as the sole defendant.
The court heard that the convict was arrested on June 18, 2024, along Kuje Road in Abuja while transporting 340.8 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa in a Nissan Frontier vehicle bearing a police number plate, NPF 558D.
He was charged under Sections 19 and 11(p) of the NDLEA Act, CAP N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, for unlawful possession and transportation of narcotic substances.
