AGF asks court to deny bail to alleged importers of 1,570 rifles

The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) has asked the Federal High Court, Lagos, to reject the bail applications filed by the two businessmen, Ayogu Great James and Ifeuwa Moses Christ, who were charged for unlawful importation of 1,570 pump action rifles into the country.

The AGF, in his argument yesterday, asked the court to refuse the accused persons bail on the ground that their offences bordered on national security.

But counsel to the accused, Mahmud Mogaji (SAN) and Wale Adesokan (SAN), prayed the court to admit their clients to bail in the most liberal terms, as the prosecution has not been able to contradict all the disposition of their affidavits.

The two senior lawyers told the court that the only prosecution’s contention to their clients’ affidavits was an Appeal Court’s decisions, which stated that once a case is of national security, no bail should be granted.

They prayed the court to discountenance the prosecution’s counter-affidavits.

However, the prosecution counsel, a Director in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr. Julius Ajakaiye, who also urged the court to dismiss the bail applications on the ground of national security, said the third defendant, Ifeuwa Christ, the alleged shipper of the illegal fire-arms, was elusive for more than a year but was arrested by the Customs and other security agencies.

He, therefore, pleaded with the court to discountenance the bail applications and dismiss same accordingly.

The trial judge, Justice Saliu Seidu, adjourned ruling till November 21, 2018.