NDLEA arraigns 6 men over illicit drugs deals

The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday charged six men before Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court, Lagos, with exporting and importing hard drugs to Saudi Arabia and the United States of America.

The six defendants are; Olabode Ikotun, Ramon Olanrewaju, Adegboyega Ayodeji, Tayo Ismail, Adekunle Osikomaiya and Tunbosun Jagun.

They were alleged to have committed the offences in August 2020, using FedEx Courier Services, located on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi; Kakawa on Lagos Island and NAHCO, Ikeja, all in Lagos State.

Ikotun and Olanrewaju were alleged to have exported 800 grammes of cocaine to Saudi Arabia, while Ayodeji, Ismail, Osikomaiya and Jagun were alleged to have imported 485 grammes of cannabis sativa, popularly called marijuana, from the USA.

Arraigning the defendants, the NDLEA prosecutor, Mr F. Owen Dinneys, told the court that both Ikotun and Olanrewaju were arrested in August 2020 at the FedEx Courier Services office located at Awolowo Road, Ikoyi and Kakawa, where they had gone to send the drug to Saudi Arabia.

Dinneys said the defendants packed the cocaine in a package with tracking numbers 814245601396 and 910729540179.

The prosecutor alleged that Ayodeji, Ismail, Osikomaiya and Jagun were arrested on August 13, 2020 at FedEx Courier Services office, NAHCO, Ikeja, Lagos, while receiving the marijuana in a package with tracking number 395157644451, imported from the USA.

All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Justice Oweibo admitted all the defendants to bail in the sum of N5 million, with two sureties in like sum each, and adjourned the matter till October 8, 2020 for trial, while ordering that all the defendants be remanded in the NDLEA custody pending the fulfilment of their bail conditions.