Aji was arraigned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on a five-count charge of dealing in hard drugs, to which he pleaded guilty. After his plea, the prosecution counsel, M. I Erondu, reviewed the facts of the case and tendered several exhibits before the court in support of her case.
The exhibits include a drug analysis form, a request for scientific aid form, a certificate of test analysis, and a bulk of the substances. Others are a package of substance, a statement of the convict, and a large sealed brown envelope. She then urged the court to proceed and convict the defendant based on his plea, and the evidence adduced by the prosecution.
Justice Ambrose Allagoa, accordingly found the defendant guilty of the change and sentenced him to a term of two years imprisonment without the option of a fine. During a plea for mercy, the defence counsel, Opeyemi Owolabi, urged the court to temper justice with mercy as the convict was a first offender.
He said that the convict being a youth, had no previous crime record, and urged the court to show leniency. Earlier, Erondu, the prosecution counsel, said that Aji committed the offences on September 1, at Egbeda in Lagos.
She told the court that the convict had dealt in 1.1kg of Cannabis sativa, 7 grammes of Methamphetamine, 44 grammes of Tramadol hydrochloride, two litres of Codeine cough syrup, and 5 grammes of Rophynol.
Erondu said that all the items are classified as psychotropic substances in the NDLEA schedule, similar to cocaine heroin LSD all restricted by law. She said the offence contravened the provisions of section 11(c) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Law of the Federation, 2004.
