A 24-year-old man, Usman Adisa, was sentenced on Thursday to six months imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Ibadan, for being in possession of 3.5kg of tramadol tablets.
The trial judge, Justice Patricia Ajoku, gave the sentence in consideration of the time the convict had spent in detention since his arrest on Nov. 2.
The News Agency Of Nigeria (NAN) reports that tramadol is a pain relief drug although its non-medical use could produce similar effects as heroin.
Ajoku also ordered that the drug exhibit be publicly destroyed by burning.
Mr Olaniran Olukayo, a prosecution witness and an official of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), had told the court that the convict was arrested on the Lagos-Ibadan express way.
The defence counsel, Mr O.J. Morakinyan, on his part, had prayed that justice be tempered with mercy, especially since his client had pleaded guilty to the charge against him.
“The essence of the sentence is not just for him to be punished, but also to be reformed.
“I am sure he has learnt a lot of lessons from this ugly experience,” he said.
