Businessman docked for trafficking in 1.06kg of heroine

For importing 1.060 kilograms of heroine, a businessman, Ezeobiakor Chika Humphrey was arraigned before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.

Humphrey was arraigned before Justice Chukwujkwu Aneke, by the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), on a one count charge of unlawful importation of the banned hard drug.

NDLEA stated that the defendant was arrested with the banned substance on July 24, 2018, at the D-arrival hall of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, during inward clearance of passengers on board a Kenya Airway flight.

NDLEA counsel, Abu Ibrahim, told the court that his offence was contrary to section 3 and punishable under Section 11 (3) of the NDLEA Laws. The defendant, who was first arraigned on October 24, pleaded not guilty.

Following his plea, prosecution counsel prayed the court for a trial date and asked the court to remand him in prison custody.Responding to prosecution submission defendant counsel, E. U. Okenyi, urged the court to grant his client bail. He told the court that application for bail had been filed and it has been served on the prosecution. The judge granted bail in the sum of N5 million with one surety in the same sum.

Justice Aneke ordered that the surety must be a civil servant in the service of Federal or Lagos State government, not below Grade Level 12 with official letter from the surety’s Ministry confirming his status or a landed property owner within the court’s jurisdiction and the documents for the landed property must be deposited with the court’s Registrar and that the prosecution must verify the genuineness of the documents within 24 hours of filing.He subsequently adjourned the case till December 13 for trial.