January 16, (THEWILL) – An Assistant General Manager of Skyway Handling Company (SAHCO), Olajide Ahmed Kafidipe, and seven other staff of the company, were on Tuesday, arraigned before a Federal High Court, Lagos on charges bordering on conspiracy, unlawful importation and possession of 1,440.90 kilograms of tramadol.
They were arraigned before the court presided over by Justice Deinde Isaac Dipeolu by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The seven staff of the company arraigned alongside Olajide are Sanyaolu Rasheed Oladele, Musa Mutalib Opeyemi, Sanamo Alla Daniel, Anuge Evans Isibor, Mahmud Agboola Musa, Udeh Felix, and Obinna Henry.
The prosecutor, Mr. Abu Ibrahim, told the court that all the defendants conspired with the trio of Mubarak Sarki Salami, Abdullahi Aliyu, a.k.a Aboki, and Anwal Monday, who are also staff of the company but now at large, to commit the offences on or about October 25, 2023.
The prosecutor said the Assistant General Manager of SAHCO, Olajide and other staff of the company conspired amongst themselves to transport 1,440.90 kilograms of Tramadol 225mg, a Narcotic, from SAHCO Import Shed.
The prosecutor also told the court that Olajide conspired with Sanyaolu Rasheed Oladele, and procured one Lawal Itunu Temitope to transport the prohibited substance from SAHCO Import Shed in a Mercedes Benz Bus with Registration Number LAGOS MUS 269 YC, belonging to Platinum Pacific International Limited.
He informed the court that another staff of SAHCO, Sanyaolu Rasheed Oladele, unlawfully possessed the said 1,440.90 kilograms of tramadol 225mg, a Narcotic Analgesic.
The prosecutor said the offences committed by the defendants contravened sections 14 (b), 21 (2)(d) and 20 (1)(c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and punishable under sections 11 (b) and 20 (2)(b) of the same Act.
All the defendants denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following their not-guilty plea, the prosecutor asked the court for a trial date and also urged the court to remand them in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS) till the hearing and determination of the charge.
However, lawyers to the defendants told the court that they had filed their clients’ bail applications except that of the Assistant General Manager, Kafidipe Ahmed Olajide and Obinna Henry.
The lawyers, therefore, asked the court for a short date to enable them to file the bail applications for the duo.
With the development, the prosecutor, Mr. Abu Ibrahim, urged the court to remand all the defendants in NCoS’ custody till when the court hears their bail applications.
But, the trial judge, Justice Dipeolu, in his reasoning, ordered the operatives of the NDLEA to call their Airport Commander to allow the defendants to be remanded in their custody till Wednesday, January 17, 2023, when their bail applications will be heard and determined.
Upon compliance with the court’s directive, which was granted by the Commander, the court ordered the remand of all the defendants in NDLEA custody till Wednesday and adjourned the matter to January 24, 2024, for the commencement of their trial.
