Six suspects have been arraigned before the Federal High Court, Lagos over alleged importation and exportation of hard drugs to Saudi-Arabia and United States.
The syndicate, arraigned by the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) before Justice Nicholas Oweibo in two separate charges, are Olabode Ikotun, Ramon Olanrewaju, Adegboyega Ayodeji, Tayo Ismail, Adekunle Osikomaiya and Tunbosun Jagun.
The six men were alleged to have committed the offence in August 2020, using FedEx Courier Services in various locations in Lagos for the alleged illegal transaction. While Ikotun and Olanrewaju allegedly exported 800 grams of cocaine to Saudi Arabia, Ayodeji, Ismail, Osikomaiya and Jagun, were alleged to have imported 485 grams of marijuana from the United States.
NDLEA counsel, Mr. F. Owen Dinneys, told the court that Ikotun and Olanrewaju were arrested on August 2020, at the FedEx office where they had gone to send the drug to Saudi Arabia.
He said the defendants packaged the cocaine in packs with tracking numbers 814245601396 and 910729540179.
The prosecutor also told the court that Adegboyega Ayodeji, Tayo Ismail, Adekunle Osikomaiya and Tunbosun Jagun, were arrested on August 13, 2020, at FedEx office while receiving the marijuana in a package with tracking number 395157644451, imported from the United States.
The offences are contrary to and punishable under sections 11(a); 11(b) and 14(b) of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following the not guilty plea, the prosecutor asked the court for a trial date and also urged the court to remand them in custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services, till the determination of the charges against them.
Lawyers to the defendants Chief (Mrs) Lilian Omotunde, Bolanle Kolawole and Mr. E. O. Okenyin, did not object to the trial date but begged the court to hear their clients’ applications for bail, which they said had been served on the prosecutor.