For allegedly being involved in the haul of over two tons of Cocaine found in the Solebo area of Ikorodu, Lagos State, sometime in September this year, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), late Tuesday, arraigned no fewer than five members of a cocaine trafficking cartel that were arrested in connection with the haul.
The five-member drug trafficking cartel arraigned before Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, over the largest haul of cocaine in the history of Nigeria, are Soji Jubril Oke, Wale Akinade, Emmanuel Arinze Chukwu, Kelvin Christopher Smith and Oguntolure Sunday.
They were alleged to have between July 18, and September 19, 2022, at No: 6, Olukonla Crescent, Solebo Estate, Ikorodu, Lagos, without lawful authority, conspired to form and operate a Drug Trafficking Organisation (DTO) by importing 2,139.55 kilogramms of Cocaine.
During Tuesday's proceedings on the matter, counsel to the NDLEA, Umar Hussaini informed Justice Lifu that he had a six-count charge pending before the court and prayed that the charge is read to the defendants so that they can take their plea.
However, when the charge was read to the Defendants, they pleaded not guilty, prompting the NDLEA's counsel to ask for a trial date and the remand of the Defendants in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS).
But lawyer to the Defendants, Benson Ndakara, representing the first to fourth Defendants, and Lylian Omotunde, representing the fifth Defendant, jointly told the court that they have bail applications filed on behalf of the Defendants and that same have been served on the prosecutor.
Ndakara and Omotunde, therefore, urged the court to allow them to move their respective applications.
Upon moving the Defendants' applications for bail, Justice Lifu adjourned ruling on the bail application until January 17, 2023.
While proceedings lasted, Hussaini moved an Exparte application for the interim forfeiture of some money found in the bank accounts of two of the Defendants, and the court granted same.
The sums forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria in the interim include the sum of N12, 055,295.20 in account numbers 6322382470 and 6053775739 both domiciled in a new generation bank belonging to Abdulwasiu Akinade, and another sum of N55, 099,509.50 in account number 3023730668 domiciled with an old generation bank belonging to Emmanuel Arinze Chukwu.
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