Widow bags 3yrs jail term for unlawful possession of 5.150kg of cannabis sativa in Osun

Tunde Adeleke, Osogbo

A Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, on Monday sentenced a 25-year-old widow, Abiodun Mariam, to three years imprisonment for illegal possession of 5.150kg of cannabis sativa.

The charge sheet states that the defendant violated section 11(b) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30 laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 on January 5, 2024, along the Gbongan-Ibadan road.

The convict had pleaded guilty to the one count of illegal possession of cannabis sativa pressed against her by the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and pleaded for mercy.

The convict’s counsel , Alfred Adegoke, told the court that she had recently lost her spouse in addition to losing her parents when she was younger.

He also informed the court that she brought her two children to the court, one of which is about six months left for her by her late husband.

As a result, Adegoke implored the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing the convict who he claimed to be a first offender.

In his judgement, Justice Mashkur Salisu who considered sections 416(2) and 460(4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), on the need for reformation of the criminal, thereby sentenced the convict to three years imprisonment with an option of N500,000 fine.