The battle to rid Nigeria of illegal drug trafficking by the nation’s anti-narcotic agency may be yielding results. But is the agency in control of the situation? Senior Correspondent, JUDE KENNETH, dissects a case of two businessmen who were arrested and docked by the agency.
Mama-Solomon Ikechukwu, 27, and Emeka Mbadiwe, 33, are two businessmen who allegedly imported 2.23 kilogrammes of cocaine into the country. While Ikechukwu resides in Brazil, his accomplice, Mbadiwe, a jeweller, resides in South Africa.
Luck ran out of the duo when on August 28, 2014, they were arrested at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, while in possession of the drug which they allegedly imported into the country with the alleged connivance of one Uzoma Stanley, now at large.
After investigations, Ikechukwu and Mbadiwe were docked by the operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) before Justice Saliu Saidu of Federal High Court, Lagos, on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and unlawful possession of illicit drug.
However, the two accused persons who have been in detention since their arrest, pleaded not guilty to all the counts after listening to the charge. In view of their plea, counsel to the accused, Emmanuel Okenyi, urged the court to admit his clients to bail on liberal terms, informing the court that the accused had been in detention for a long time and had no former criminal records. He supported the bail application with two separate affidavit of nine-paragraphs each for both accused and a written address.
But the NDLEA prosecutor, Vembe Emmanuel, opposed the bail application with a 10-paragraph counter-affidavit.
Emmanuel, a lawyer with the agency, alleged that the accused persons committed the offence on August 28, 2014, adding that they conspired with one Uzoma Stanley, now at large, to unlawfully import 2.23kg of cocaine into the country.
According to the prosecutor, the offences allegedly committed contravened Sections 11 (c) and 14 (b) of the NDLEA Act Cap N30, Laws of the Federation, 2004 (as amended).
In his ruling on the bail application, Justice Saidu admitted the accused persons to bail in the sum of N10 million with two sureties each in like sum.
The judge ordered that one of the sureties must be a relation of the accused residing in Lagos and must be a property owner within the jurisdiction. One of the sureties must be a civil servant in Lagos State or with the Federal Government not below Grade Level 16.
In addition, Saidu said that both accused persons and sureties should present before the court two passport photographs and that both court and the prosecutor must be satisfied with the sureties.
The judge adjourned the case till February 4, 2015, for trial.