Cripple bags 6 months jail sentence for drug trafficking

by Rachel Ogbu

 

A Federal High Court, Lagos, has sentenced a cripple to six months imprisonment for drug trafficking.

Wale Arowolo, 34, was on Wednesday convicted on a one count charge of dealing with Cannabis Sativa which he pled guilty to.

According to reports, the convict’s alleged offence was said to have contravened the provisions of section 11 (c) of the NDLEA Act, 2004.

Justice Musa Kurya subsequently sentenced Arowolo to six month’s imprisonment. “The accused is hereby convicted as charged, and is accordingly sentenced to six months imprisonment, which will start running from July 3, 2012, when he was arrested” Kurya ordered.

[READ: 4 men, including a cripple remanded for gang raping a 22-year-old woman]

As he’s been in custody since last year and the sentence was to begin on the day he was arrested, it was reported that Arowolo might regain his freedom immediately after the judgment having been in custody for about 12 months.

Kurya said the sentence of the court was to serve as a warning to him.

The Punch reports:

The accused on Wednesday pleaded guilty to the charge after his counsel, Mr. C.D Obaye, applied for a change of plea.

The charge was re-read to Arowolo and he pleaded guilty to same, a shift from his plea of not guilty when he was arraigned last May.

According to Obaye, Arowolo had been in custody since his arrest on July 3, 2012, because he was unable to perfect the bail earlier granted him.

The lawyer added that his client was therefore to plead guilty since he could not provide a surety to perfect his release through bail.

In reviewing the facts of the case, prior to the judge’s judgment, the prosecuting counsel, Mr J.I Igunbor, recalled that the accused was arrested under the bridge leading to Onikan, near Dodan barracks.

According to Igunbor, about 500 grammes of cannabis sativa were recovered from him.

He added that operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency were able to apprehend the accused who attempted to escape without his crutches.

The counsel for the accused, Obaye, urged the court to be lenient with the accused, being physically challenged.

 

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