Man, who sold cannabis to NDLEA official, jailed for one year

A Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, on Wednesday, sentenced one Muritala Babarinde to one-year imprisonment for being in possession of 4.7kg of Indian hemp.

The convict was arrested at Akinlalu village, Modakeke, by officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.

While being trailed by the NDLEA, Babarinde was said to have sold Indian hemp to an undercover agent, who approached him, before he was eventually arrested.

The prosecutor, Ogaga Azuigo, called three witnesses, who were officials of the NDLEA.

The convict said he only smoked Indian hemp and denied being in possession of two bags of the substance as alleged by the NDLEA.

But one of the witnesses called by the prosecution said the convict sold Indian hemp to him, when he pretended to be a user of the illicit drug.

The counsel for the defendant, Mr D. D. Adegbola, pleaded with the court to be lenient with his client.

Delivering his judgment, Justice Peter Lifu, sentenced Babarinde to one-year imprisonment.

The judge said the prison term would commence from February 2020 when he was first arraigned.