Court remands five suspected drug barons in prison

Five alleged drug barons arrested in the Ikorodu area of Lagos, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) will be spending time in jail till 12 January 2023, when their bail application will be decided.

A judge of the Federal High Court on Tuesday ordered their remand in the correctional facility at Ikoyi after their arraignment.

On 18 September, officials of the agency busted a major warehouse at Solebo Estate in the Ikorodu area of the state where over N194 billion worth of crack in street value were seized.

Five suspects were arrested. They are Soji Oke, Wasiu Akinade, Emmanuel Chukwu, Oguntolure Sunday and a Jamaican, Kelvin Smith.

The suspects all pleaded not guilty to six counts of conspiracy, unlawful importation of 2,139.55 kilograms of Cocaine, engaging in the organization, management and financing of a drug trafficking organization and unlawful possession of the same drug.

A prosecuting lawyer with the NDLEA, Umar Hussain, said that the defendants were arrested with the drugs between the month of July and September 18 and 19, 2022 in Ikorodu.

The prosecutor told the court that the offences committed by the defendants are contrary to Sections 14 (b), 20 (1)(g), 11 and 19 of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act CAP N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 (as amended) and punishable under sections 20 (2)(b) of the same Act.

Following their not-guilty plea, the prosecutor asked the court for a trial date.

The prosecutor urged the court to remand them in prison till the determination of the charges preferred against them.

However, the defendant’s lawyers, Benson Ndakara and Liliana Omotunde, asked the court to grant them bail in the most liberal terms.

Mr Ndakara told the court that two of his clients, Soji Oke and Wasiu Akinade, are having serious health challenges.

Having heard their arguments, the judge ordered the remand of all the defendants to the Ikoyi correctional facility till 12 January when the ruling will be delivered on the bail application.

The judge also ordered the head of the facility to furnish the court with the health reports of the sick defendants within two weeks.