Court jail man two years for illegal possession of 600g of tramadol

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo

A Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo has sentenced a middle-aged man, Nwoke Ifeanyi, to two years imprisonment for illegal possession of 600 grammes of tramadol.

The prosecutor from the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Olufemi Ijimakin, told the court that the convict was arrested along Gbongan-Ibadan expressway with 1,010 capsules weighing 600 grams of tramadol, contrary to the provision of section 19 of the NDLEA Act, 2004.

The convict who was arraigned on May 15, 2024, pleaded guilty to the crime.

Counsel to the convict, Alfred Adegoke, prayed the court to be lenient with his client, saying that he has promised to turn a new leaf.

Adegoke said, “I urged the court to give him a second chance. He is a first offender with no criminal record. He is remorseful and promised to turn a new leaf.”

Delivering his judgment on Monday, Justice Mashkur Salisu, held that the conventional statement of the convict and his admittance of guilt alongside other evidences tendered by the prosecution were enough to found him guilty.

Salisu, stated that the section under which Ifeanyi was convicted provided for minimum of 15 years jail term.

He thereby considered the plea of the counsel to the convict and sentenced Ifeanyi to two years imprisonment starting from the date of his arrest in April 4, 2024.