Justice Mohammed Yunusa of Nigeria’s Federal High Court Lagos on Wednesday sentenced a 28-year-old pregnant woman, Saudat Wasiu, to three months in jail for drug trafficking.
The woman however has a few days to spend in jail as the sentence would run from the day of her arrest, which was 4 December.
The judge sentenced the convict after she pleaded guilty to a count charge of dealing in about 3.9 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa, also known as Indian hemp.
Before the sentence, the woman pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy.
She said she had no one to run to, since she had been deserted by her entire family members, praying the court to be liberal with the sentence.
Justice Yunusa said the sentence should commence from Dec. 4, 2013, when she was arrested.
“The convict is hereby sentenced to three months imprisonment, which date is to start running from the time of arrest.
The convict is therefore, cautioned and advised to desist from crime in her interest and the interest of the society at large,” he said.
The Prosecutor, Mr Jerry Aernan, had told the court that Saudat was arrested by officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on 4 December 2013 at NNPC area of Ejigbo.
He said that about 3.9 kg of the narcotic drug was found in Saudat’s possession which she concealed in a white sack.
According to the prosecutor, the offence contravenes the provisions of Section 11 (c) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation, 2004.
