Court grants N15m bail to alleged cocaine peddler

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Tuesday granted bail to an alleged Cocaine importer, Michael Okwuma, in the sum of N15 million with two sureties in like sum. The judge, Justice Saliu Saidu, granted him bail following an application by his lawyer, Mrs Lilian Omotunde. Okwuma, 35, who pleaded not guilty, was arraigned by National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on a one-count charge of drug trafficking.
Saidu said that one of the sureties must be a blood relation of the accused, while the other must be on grade level 15 in either the federal or state civil service. He, thereafter, adjourned the case to March 7, for trial. The Prosecutor, Mr Ichakpa Oigoga, had told the court that the accused committed the offence on Oct. 27, 2015.
Oigoga said the accused was arrested at the `E’ Arrival Hall of the Murtala Mohammed Airport for allegedly importing Cocaine. “During the inward clearance of passengers on board a South African Airline flight from Brazil, about 3.4kg Cocaine was recovered from the accused after concealing the same,” he said.
Oigoga said the offence contravened Section 11 (a) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30 Laws of the Federation, 2004, which attracts a term of life imprisonment if convicted.