Court hands down life imprisonment to 'Igbo' dealer

In what can be seen as a high handed miscarriage of justice, a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has passed a life jail term for a small time drug dealer who specializes in selling 'Igbo', Indian Hemp and small quantities of Heroin and crack cocaine.

The convict, 29-year-old Abiodun Elemoro, was shocked that the presiding judge, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, pronounced the sentence on him after he had pleaded guilty to dealing in drugs.

Elemoro who did not have any legal representative, was dragged to the court by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on the allegation that he was caught in possession of the illicit substance without lawful authority.

In his confession, the convict whose wife and nine-months-old daughter were in court, pleaded for leniency, saying he was forced to engage in the act due to unemployment and promised to turn a new leaf if given another chance.

Elemoro  told the court that he operated on Palm Church Street on Lagos Island, where he used to dispense the drugs to end users, and made between N3,000 and N5,000 daily.

But in handing down the life imprisonment on him, Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia, said that the court was convinced Elemoro was well advanced in the crime and would constitute a negative influence on the society, particularly his baby, if pardoned.