Teenager gets 1 year imprisonment for possession of Indian hemp

A Federal High Court on Monday in Abuja, sentenced a 19-year- old student, Richard Daniel, to one year imprisonment for being in possession of 1.038kg of Indian hemp.

Daniel, who was arrested on November 26, 2019 in Abuja with substances suspected to be Indian hemp, pleaded guilty to the one count of unlawful possession of cannabis.

The judge, Justice Giwa Ogunbanjo held that "Based on Section 19 of the NDLEA ACT, there is no option of fine and the offence attracts a minimum of 15 to 25 years imprisonment."

She, however, said that she was lenient on the convict because of the quantity of drugs seized, testimony of the convict's remorseful father in court and the age of the convict.

She held that the sentence was a reformatory one with the hope that he would repent after serving his jail term.

"The sentence is to begin from the date of his arrest," the judge held.