NDLEA Official, one Other Arraigned for Cocaine Importation

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, on Thursday, took one Adeogun Olajide before a Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly importing 2.692 kilogrammes of cocaine into the country.

Olajide, said to be an official of the NDLEA, was taken before Justice Saliu Saidu along with one Adams Michael a.k.a. Chidi, with whom he allegedly conspired to commit the crime.

The two men were arraigned on four counts bordering on importation of cocaine without lawful authority.

The offence, according to the prosecution, was contrary to sections 11(a) and 14(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The prosecutor for the NDLEA, Augustine Nwagu, who filed the charge FHC/L/174c/15 against Olajide and Michael, alleged that they committed the offence between January and March this year.

The prosecution  alleged that the accused persons were found in possession of 2.092kg of cocaine on February 24, 2015 at the  International Mail Processing Centre, NACHO, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

NDLEA also alleged that another 600 grammes of the illicit substance, believed to be imported, was found on the accused persons on March 8, 2015.

But upon reading the four counts to them before Saidu, both Olajide and Michael denied the claims as they pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Following their plea, the NDLEA prosecutor urged the court to allow the men be remanded in the agency’s custody pending when investigations into the matter would be concluded.

“My Lord, in view of the plea of the accused persons, may we humbly ask the court to order the remand of the accused persons at the NDLEA facility pending the conclusion of investigation into this case; investigation is still ongoing, My Lord,” Nwagu said.

However, lawyer for the accused persons, Mr. Benson Ndakara, while pointing out that his clients had been in the custody of the agency since March, urged that they should be allowed to go on bail.

But Saidu, in a bench ruling, granted the prayer of the agency to further remand the accused persons in its custody, but only for seven days, pending the conclusion of investigations.

The judge, however, emphasised that if the said investigation was not concluded within time, the court would have no other option than to hear the defendants’ bail application.

He subsequently adjourned further proceedings in the matter till May 14, 2015.