Nigeria: Two bag 450-hour community service for drug dealing in Lagos
By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria
In a ruling by the Federal High Court in Lagos, two individuals have been sentenced to community service for their involvement in drug dealing. Josephine Okpai, a 45-year-old businesswoman, was convicted for unlawfully dealing in 1.3kg of cannabis sativa and was sentenced to 200 hours of community service. Waheed Olayiwola, a 44-year-old fashion designer, was sentenced to 250 hours of community service for selling 145kg of hard drugs.
During the court proceedings, Okpai explained that she was forced into drug dealing after her frozen goods were seized by the Nigerian Customs Service in April 2023. As a mother of six, she turned to the illegal trade to provide for her children and pay their school fees. Okpai had been in the custody of the National Drugs Law and Enforcement Agency since her arrest on February 23, 2024. Despite being found guilty, the court showed leniency due to her status as a first-time offender and sentenced her to community service.
Similarly, Olayiwola pleaded guilty to the charges against him and revealed that he had started selling drugs alongside his fashion designer business in the past year. He claimed that the 145kg of drugs found at his shop were not consumed by him or his family. Olayiwola’s counsel pleaded for leniency, pointing out that he had been in the custody of the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency since his arrest on April 2024. The court reluctantly sentenced him to 250 hours of community service as he was also a first-time offender.
The prosecution counsel, J.O. Nejedu, informed the court that Olayiwola committed the offence on January 26, 2024, which contravened sections 274 (2) and 356 (2) of the administration of criminal justice law. In addition to the community service sentences, Justice Abimbola Awogboro ordered that the seized drugs be sent to the NDLEA for destruction if the judgment was not appealed.
