A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced two traders from the popular Alaba-Rago market, Abubakar Sadiq and Isah Ibrahim, to 12 months in prison for conspiracy and illegal dealing in 11 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa, also known as Indian hemp or marijuana.
The conviction followed their guilty plea to charges brought against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The presiding judge, Justice Deinde Dipeolu, handed down the sentence after the defendants admitted to the crimes.
According to the prosecution, led by Abdullahi Buhari, the two men were apprehended on July 3 at the Alaba-Rago market, located on the Lagos-Badagry expressway, while selling the prohibited substance to customers.
The prosecutor detailed the charges, noting that Abubakar Sadiq, 25, faced a two-count charge of conspiracy and unlawful dealing in the banned substance.
He said Isah Ibrahim, 27, was charged with conspiracy only.
Buhari told the court that Sadiq’s actions violated sections 14(b) and 11(c) of the NDLEA Act Cap. N30, Law of the Federation 2004, while Ibrahim’s actions contravened section 11(c) of the same Act.
When the charges were read, both traders pleaded guilty, prompting the prosecutor to review the facts of the case and tender the exhibits. He then urged the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
In his allocutus, the defence counsel, Evans Njoku, pleaded with the court for leniency, emphasising that his clients were first-time offenders with no prior criminal records.
He also pointed out that their guilty pleas saved the court valuable time. Njoku requested a non-custodial sentence or a fine in place of a prison term.
After considering the defence’s submission and confirming with the prosecution that the traders were indeed first-time offenders, Justice Dipeolu sentenced both men to six months’ imprisonment on each of the counts.
However, the judge provided an alternative fine option. Sadiq was ordered to pay a total sum of N1.1 million, while Isah Ibrahim was to pay N500,000 to avoid serving their jail terms.
The amended charge against the convicts read: “That you, Abubakar Sadiq, male, 25 years old, and Isah Ibrahim, male, 27 years old, on or about 3rd of July 2025, at Alaba-Rago, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired to traffic in 11 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa, a narcotic similar to cocaine, heroin and LSD, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 14(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap. N30, Law of the Federation 2004.”
A separate charge for Sadiq stated: “That you, Abubakar Sadiq, male, 25 years old, on or about 3rd of July 2025, at Alaba-Rago, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, without lawful authority dealt in 11 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa, a narcotic similar to cocaine, heroin and LSD, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 11(c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap. N30, Law of the Federation 2004.
