A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced a 29-year-old drug dealer, Abiodun Elemoro to life imprisonment.

Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia pronounced the sentence on Thursday, after Elemoro had pleaded guilty to dealing in 30.5 grammes of heroine. The convict was brought before the court on April 26, 2014 by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on the allegation that he was caught in possession of the illicit drugs.

Elemoro, who appeared in court without any legal representation, had promptly confessed to committing the crime and pleaded for mercy. In his confession before Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia, the father of a nine-month-old girl, told the court that prior to his arrest on April 24, 2014, he operated on Palm Church Street on Lagos Island, where he used to dispense the hard drug to end users.

He added that the business fetched him between N3, 000 and N5, 000 daily. However, the prosecutor, Mr Orji Kalu, told the court that Elemoro, by his act, had put himself at variance with Section 11(c) of the National Drug law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.



He therefore urged the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.Consequently, Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia convicted Elemoro on the strength of his confessional statement and the evidence tendered by the prosecution. While handing down the life imprisonment, the court said it had noted that Elemoro was well advanced in the crime and would constitute a negative influence on the society, particularly his nine-month-old baby, if pardoned.

The judge ordered the NDLEA to destroy the hard substance if there was no appeal against the judgment within 30 days.

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