Korede Abdullah 
LAGOS, Nigeria – A Federal High Court in Lagos sentences a 44-year-old drug dealer to two years imprisonment for unlawfully trafficking cocaine and cannabis in the state.
Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa delivers the judgment on Tuesday after Olalowo Olatunji pleads guilty to a two-count charge filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
Prosecuting counsel Peter Ekuri tells the court that Olatunji was arrested on March 8, 2026, at Victoria Island while hawking 89 grams of cocaine and 20 grams of cannabis.
The offences violate provisions of the NDLEA Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Defence lawyer Uche Okoronkwo appeals for leniency, describing the convict as a first-time offender who cooperated with the court proceedings.
“My lord, Olatunji is a first-time offender and has not wasted the precious time of this honourable court,” Okoronkwo says.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa rules that the relatively small quantity of narcotics recovered, and the absence of previous convictions justify a reduced sentence.
“The convict is a first-time offender, and the quantity of narcotics recovered from him is not substantial enough to warrant the maximum punishment,” the judge says.
The court sentences Olatunji to 12 months imprisonment on each count with an option of a N1 million fine per charge, bringing the total fine option to N2 million.
The sentences are to run concurrently rather than consecutively.
The ruling comes amid intensified anti-drug enforcement operations across Lagos targeting narcotics trafficking and street-level drug distribution networks.
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Mirian Gom 
