A Lagos Socialite and businessman, Arokodare Damil Ebenezer, was on Monday convicted and sentenced to a total of seven years imprisonment for trafficking in 32.24 of loud, a special species of cannabis Sativa, popularly called marijuana.
Arokodare, the owner of Damillionz Takeout, located at Lekki, Lagos, was given a jail term after pleading guilty to a two-count charge of unlawful importation and dealing in the prohibited drug.
He was arraigned on the charges by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Arraigning the convicted businessman, the NDLEA prosecutor, Barrister Abu Ibrahim, told the court that he was arrested on March 10, 2025, at FedEx Import warehouse of NAHCO Import Shed, a Customs Area of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja-Lagos, where he had gone to received 31.30 kilograms of drug, which he unlawfully imported from the United States of America (USA)
Barrister Abu further told the Court that the convicted man was on March 24, 2025, at Flat 7, D 11, Lekki Gardens, Horizon 11 Meadow Hall, Lekki, Ikate-Elegunshi, Lagos State unlawful authority, dealt in 94 grams of the same drug.
He told the court that the convict’s acts contravened sections 20 (1)(a) and 11 (c), and pwere unishable under section 20 (2) (a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
However, the convicted businessman admitted committing the offence and pleaded guilty to the two counts charge when it was read to him.
Upon his guilty plea, the prosecutor reviewed the facts of the charge, as well as tendered some exhibits in the matter. While urged the court to convict and sentence him in accordance with the sections of the NDLEA Act he was charged with.
But lawyer to the convicted businessman, Chief Benson Ndakara, who led Kate Igbo, in his allocution, pleaded passionately on behalf of the convict.
Ndakara told the court that his client is a victim of circumstances, which he said can be seen from his statement.
He therefore urged the court to show mercy as he is a single parent with an 8-year-old son.
“We urged the court to award a non-custodial sentence. We urged the court to temper justice with mercy,” he pleaded.
Justice Aluko, after confirming from the prosecutor that the convicted businessman did not have any record of previous conviction, and after citing a plethora of authorities, sentenced him to six years in count one and 12 months in court two.
The judge, however, awarded fine option of N2 million and N300,000 on the two counts, but ordered that the sentence shall run concurrently.
Charges Against The Convict Reads: “That you Arokodare Damil Ebenezer, Male, Adult, on or about the 10th March, 2025 at FedEx Import warehouse of NAHCO Import Shed, a Customs Area/Point of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja-Lagos during the inward clearance of Cargoes from United States of America without lawful authority imported 31.30 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa, a Narcotic Drug similar to Cocaine, LSD, Heroin and you thereby committed an act which is an offence contrary to section 20 (1)(a) and punishable under section 20 (2)(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
“That you Arokodare Damil Ebenezer, Male, Adult, on or about the 24th March, 2025 at Flat 7, D 11, Lekki Gardens, Horizon 11 Meadow Hall, Lekki, Lagos State without lawful authority dealt in 94 Grams of Cannabis Sativa, a narcotic drug similar to Cocaine, LSD, Heroin and you thereby committed an act which is an offence contrary to and punishable under section 11 (c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
