A woman, Oluwakemi Akala and two men, Onyekachi Aguguo and Tsolaye Eburajolo, were on Tuesday arraigned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency before the Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly dealing in 28 kilogrammes of Cannabis Indica.
The trio are facing two counts bordering on conspiracy and importing of the hard drugs preferred against them by the NDLEA.
When the matter was called for arraignment on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, the NDLEA’s prosecution counsel, Mr Kunle Adebajo, informed the court that the prosecution had two counts pending before the court and urged the court to order that the charge be read so that the defendants could take their plea.
Adebajo told the court that the three defendants, Oluwakemi Akala, Onyekachi Aguguo, Tsolaye Eburajolo and one Austin A.K.A. Elohor Eguagie now at large conspired to commit the alleged offences.
He told the court that the alleged crime took place on or about October 22, 2024, at an offloading warehouse located at the Classic 1 Terminal Ago Palace Way, Okota area of the state.
The prosecutor said the defendants without lawful authority conspired together to import 28 kilogrammes of Cannabis Indica, a narcotic drug similar to cocaine, heroin and LSD by concealing the same inside a 2010 Lexus RX350 model with VIN JTJHK31U672011774.
According to the prosecutor, the offences committed contravened Section 14(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
Following the not-guilty plea of the defendants, the prosecutor, Adebajo, asked the court for a trial date and also asked that the court remand the defendants to the correctional centre.
In reply to the submission of the prosecutor, counsel for Oluwakemi Akala, Mr S. Sani, asked for a short date to enable him to file a bail application for his client.
However, Mr Alli Aba and Justice Ojienoh, counsel for Onyekachi Aguguo and Tsolaye Eburajolo, respectively, told the court that they had filed and served the bail applications of their clients and pleaded with the court to allow them to move the same.
Aba and Ojienoh, thereafter, moved the applications for their clients’ bail which was not opposed by the prosecution.
In a short ruling on the defendants’ bail applications, Justice Ayokunle Faji granted bail to each of them in the sum of N8m, with two sureties in like sum.
The judge ordered that one of the surety must be a blood relative of the defendant who must show evidence of his residence, means of identification, BVN and phone number, utility bills and evidence of proper means of livelihood.
Justice Faji also ordered that one of the sureties must provide a bank statement of the accountant showing evidence of ability to pay the bail sum in case the defendants jump bail and a three-year tax clearance certificate.
The defendants were also ordered to submit their travel documents, BVN, and National Identity Card numbers, and should not travel out of the country during the pendency of their bail without the permission of the court.
Justice Faji ordered the deputy registrar of the court to verify the document within three days of submission.
The defendants were ordered to be remanded in the custody of the Nigeria correctional centre pending the perfection of their bail conditions.
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