Court Jails Two for Dealing in Cannabis, Psychotropic Substances in Taraba

Wole Ayodele in Jalingo

Justice Salim Ibrahim of the Federal High Court in Jalingo, Taraba State, has sentenced two men to 1 year and six months imprisonment for dealing in cannabis and psychotropic substances.

Justice Ibrahim sentenced the convicts to the various jail terms after pleading guilty to the 2 and 4 count charges preferred against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The convicted persons: 44-year-old Baba Usman and Ammar Abdullahi, 22, were arranged in court on June 10, where the pleaded guilty to the charges brought against them.

Delivering his judgment, Justice Ibrahim averred that it is a trite principle of law that where a defendant pleads guilty to a non-capital offence and the court is satisfied that he understood the charge and intended to admit all the ingredients of the offence by pleading guilty to the charge, the next thing is for the court to convict and sentence the defendant.

He further stated that having heard the confessional/admission of the defendants, the evidence adduced by the prosecution as well as the exhibits tendered, the court is convinced of the commission of the offences in the charges by the defendants.

He held that having heard the plea of Allocutus by counsel to the defendants, A.M. Vakude, Baba Usman was sentenced to six months imprisonment for the two-count charges without any option of fine from the date of incarceration at the NDLEA facility which are to run concurrently.

In the same vein, Justice Ibrahim sentenced Ammar Abdullahi to one year imprisonment for the four count charges without option of fine from the date of incarceration at the NDLEA facility and are to run concurrently.