Five Women Sentenced To Prison In Lagos Over 7kg Cannabis Bust

Five Women Sentenced To Prison In Lagos Over 7kg Cannabis Bust

A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced five women to two years imprisonment each for smuggling 6.96 kilograms of “Ghana Loud,” a potent cannabis sativa strain, into Nigeria. The convicted women—Basirat Olarigbibe (aka Basirat Feyisara Olaribigbe),………CONTINUE READING

Fatima Garuba (aka Fatima Ladidi Abogun), Amudalat Adekunle (aka Amudalat Ajetunmobi), Oloye Arafat Awele (aka Akanni Balikis Oluwatoyin), and Ademola Bola (aka Tolulope Oluwaseun Osibeluwo or Tolulope Ademola)—were arrested on August 21, 2024, at the Seme Border in Badagry, Lagos.

Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke delivered the sentencing on Monday, October 28, 2024, following the defendants’ guilty pleas to six charges of conspiracy and unlawful importation, filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The NDLEA’s prosecutor, Andover G. Yuanyam, stated that Olarigbibe possessed 1.54 kilograms of the substance, while Garuba, Adekunle, Awele, and Bola were found with 1.47, 1.52, 1.53 kilograms, and 900 grams, respectively. These offenses violate Sections 14 and 11(a) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 (as amended).

Defense attorney Oke Ojakovo pleaded for leniency, noting the women’s status as first-time offenders, two of whom are widows supporting their families. He requested non-custodial sentences or fines. Justice Aneke, taking this into account, sentenced each woman to two years, with the option to pay a fine of N500,000 and complete 100 hours of community service in lieu of imprisonment.