Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos yesterday ordered the remand of a self-acclaimed property developer, Mbaeri Okechukwu Emmanuel, for allegedly trafficking in 18.70 kilogrammes of cocaine....CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING.>>
Emmanuel was remanded after pleading not guilty to a charge of unlawful importation of the prohibited drug filed by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The NDLEA prosecutor, Mr Abu Ibrahim, informed the court that the defendant was apprehended with the drug on October 29, 2024, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
He was alleged to have concealed the drug in the lavatory of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 901, which he boarded from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Nigeria.
The court heard that investigations revealed that Emmanuel was responsible for smuggling the drug, leading to his arrest. The charge reads: “That you, Mbaeri Okechukwu Emmanuel, male, adult, on or about October 29, 2024, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, without lawful authority, imported 18.70 kilogrammes of cocaine, a narcotic drug, aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 901 from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 20(1)(a) and punishable under Section 20(2)(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
Despite pleading not guilty, the prosecution requested a trial date and urged the court to remand Emmanuel in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS) pending trial.
However, the defendant’s counsel, Chris Obiaka, moved a bail application, which the prosecutor opposed. After hearing submissions from both parties, Justice Owoeye ordered Emmanuel’s remand in a custodial facility and adjourned the case to February 4 for a ruling on the bail application. The trial was scheduled to commence on May 5.
