Connect with us

General News

‘Photojournalist’ bags one-year imprisonment for possession of hard drug

Published

on

Gavel
Gavel

 

 

A “photojournalist,” Okon Sunday, has been convicted and sentenced to a one-year imprisonment without option of fine for possession of 1.2kg of cannabis sativa by a Federal High Court, Abuja.

Justice Inyang Ekwo held that he handed down the jail term after the plea for mercy by the convict and his lawyer, C.M. Wancha.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sunday had pleaded guilty to a one-count charge preferred against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), through its counsel, Lauretta Idiakhoa.

In the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/369/2022, the 32-year-old convict was arrested on Aug. 5, 2022, at Sabon Lugbe, Abuja, wth 1.2 kilograms of cannabis sativa, a narcotic substance.

He was said to have committed the offence contrary to and punishable under Section 19 of the NDLEA Act CAP N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

After Sunday pleaded guilty to the charge, Wancha, in his allocutus, described the convict as “a first-time offender, a photojournalist by profession with aged parent depending on him.”

He said since the day of his arrest and the day he was admitted to bail, he had been of good conduct.

“We are praying this court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing,” he said.

The NDLEA lawyer read out Section 19 of the agency’s Act in the open court following Justice Ekwo’s directive.

NAN reports that the Act stipulates a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 25 years imprisonment for an offender.

The judge, before sentencing Sunday, asked him some questions which go thus:
“You told NDLEA that you are 32 years and are you 32 years?” Justice Ekwo asked, and he responded in affirmative.

“Are you married?

“I am engaged,” the convict said.

“How old is your fiancée?”

“23 years,” he said.

“Are your parents alive?

“Yes,” he said.

“Where are they?”

“They are in Lagos,” he said.

“Do they know that you are in this problem?”

“Yes,” he said.

“This lady you are engaged to, is she aware that you are in this problem?”

“Yes, she is here,” he said.

“Where is she?”

The young lady stood up in the gallery and when the judge asked her what she does for a living, she said she was seeking for admission.

The judge said: “You heard the law; the law says that the minimum I can give you is 15 years and the maximum is 25 years.

“Assuming that I give you the minimum, if you add that to your 32 years of age, how old will you be by the time you come out (from prison)?”

“47 years,” the convict responded sadly.

“By the time you are coming out, do you think your parents will still be alive?”

“No,” he said.

“Do you think that young girl will wait for you for 15 years?”

“No,” he said.

“You see how you make life not just difficult for you but difficult for every other person. Have you done well?”

“No,” he said.

“What were you doing with this substance?”

“I have a gym and I used to sell it to those that come there,” the convict said.

“Now that you are gong to prison for 15 years, all those people, wil they be coming to see you?”

“No,” he said.

“What do you want me to do for you now?”

“Please, temper justice with mercy,” he begged.

Justice Ekwo, who sentenced him to one-year imprisonment, ordered the prison term to take effect from Aug 5, 2022.

 

 

 

(NAN)

 

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

General News

Clergy Urged To Put Members’ Welfare Above All Else

Published

on

Anglican Church logo

At a solemn ordination service in Abuja, senior church leaders have called on pastors to make the well-being of their congregations a top priority, following the example of Jesus Christ.

Speaking during the priesthood ordination and installation of a Sub Dean at the Cathedral Church of Advent, Life Camp, Abuja, the retired Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Okene, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Ajulo, described pastors as shepherds charged with the care of their flock. He urged them to shun worldly distractions and focus on meeting the spiritual and material needs of their members.

Bishop Ajulo also encouraged the newly ordained priests to remain faithful to their calling by teaching God’s word without compromise.

In his charge, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, urged the new clergy to preach the undiluted gospel and foster religious harmony wherever they serve. He expressed confidence that their new roles would help promote peace and unity in society.

The service also featured prayers for national leaders and divine intervention in addressing the current global economic challenges.

Continue Reading

General News

1,000 Prayer Warriors Storm Ilorin for Tinubu, Nation’s Deliverance

Published

on

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

In a dramatic show of faith and patriotism, over 1,000 fiery prayer warriors from across Nigeria will descend on Ilorin, Kwara State, this Saturday, lifting their voices in intense intercession for President Bola Tinubu’s success and Nigeria’s survival in the face of biting economic woes and mounting insecurity.

The spiritual siege, themed “Walking in Domini”, is the maiden convention of the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), with its Kwara State Chairman, Evangelist Thomas Adeboye, vowing that “heaven will hear and respond to Nigeria’s cry.”

Aside from marathon prayers, the gathering will roll out free medical outreach to locals across Kwara’s LGAs, a gesture aimed at touching both body and soul.

Adeboye, lamenting Nigeria’s “troubling economic and security realities”, called for a nationwide prayer uprising, insisting that Tinubu has shown the will to revive the nation but needs massive divine backing to succeed.

“Banditry, a collapsing economy, and political tension demand we seek God’s face like never before,” he declared. “We will storm heaven for wisdom for the President and governors to steer Nigeria to safety.”

The convention will also feature awards to distinguished personalities, soul-lifting worship, fiery sermons, and unity-driven lectures—all capped with thunderous prayers for Nigeria’s redemption.

Adeboye urged the President to ensure every policy has “a human face,” stressing that Nigerians must not only endure but also enjoy the fruits of governance.

With the OAIC promising to reaffirm believers’ authority in Christ and rally spiritual boldness in the face of national challenges, Ilorin is set to become the epicentre of a powerful spiritual warfare for Nigeria’s destiny.

 

 

Continue Reading

General News

Nigerian Anglicans Condemn Lesbian Archbishop of Wales, Deepening Global Anglican Rift

Published

on

Anglican Church logo

…Church leaders accuse Welsh counterparts of “spiritual decadence” and “abandonment of faith”

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has issued a forceful condemnation of the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann, an openly lesbian cleric, as the Archbishop of Wales. The move is the latest in a series of developments that have deepened divisions within the global Anglican Communion over sexuality and doctrine.

In a statement from Primate The Most Rev’d Henry Ndukuba, the church denounced the election as a “serious departure from biblical teaching” and a sign of “spiritual decadence” and “an outright abandonment of the faith once delivered to the saints.”

Archbishop Ndukuba warned that Bishop Vann’s elevation compromises the Anglican Church’s global mission and could obstruct evangelism. He compared the situation to the controversial tenure of Most Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori, former Presiding Bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church, who also faced intense criticism from conservative Anglicans for her progressive views.

The Primate accused Bishop Vann of being complicit in the “ongoing crisis” around same-sex issues, stating that the election is a “clear revelation that many who claim to be members of the body of Christ cannot endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3–4).

The Church of Nigeria called on Anglicans worldwide to reject “rebels” and “apostates” and to instead support conservative bodies like the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON).

“The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) condemns, unequivocally rejects, and will not recognize the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann as Archbishop of Wales,” Ndukuba declared. He concluded with a solemn warning that without repentance, the Church in Wales risks losing “complete relevance” and its leaders will face judgment.

 

Continue Reading