A Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan has sentenced a 24-year-old drug trafficker, Sodiq Ramon, to maximum life imprisonment for unlawfully dealing in narcotics.

Mr. Ramon was convicted of unlawful possession of 57.2 kg of cannabis.

In her judgment, Justice Joyce Abdulmaleek held that Mr. Ramon was found guilty based on the evidence before her.

Ms. Abdulmaleek added that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Ramon was guilty of the offence.

“Certainly, drug trafficking in the Nigerian society is assuming a more worrisome dimension, and if offenders are not appropriately punished, there might not be a way out of the menace.

“Imagine what would have happened if 57.2 kg had gone into society; the damage would be huge. Therefore, to serve as a warning to others, Ramon is sentenced to a maximum of life imprisonment,” the judge said.

She, however, ordered the agency to destroy the marijuana.

Before the court’s verdict, the defence counsel, J.A. Agbo, prayed the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing his client.

Mr. Agbo stated that if the convict was given a second chance, he might contribute positively to society because he would have learnt a bitter lesson.

Earlier, Raphael Himinkaiye, counsel to the NDLEA in Oyo, had told the court that the convict committed the crime on August 29, 2020, at Soro-Owo, Bodija area in Ibadan.

The offence, he said, contravened Section 11 (C) of the NDLEA Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation 2004.

(NAN)