Five men have been arraigned before the Federal High Court in Kano for allegedly transporting 360 grammes of cocaine and other prohibited substances from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Kano without lawful authority.
The first defendant, 46-year-old Onyeka Vincent, and four others are facing a 25-count charge bordering on alleged drug trafficking and related offences, contrary to Section 11 of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
The other defendants are Okwundili Ibeabuchi, Chinedu Peter, Success Chigozie and Emmanuel Jude.
They are also accused of transporting 36.7kg of diazepam, two litres of psychotropic substances, 7.3kg of Rohypnol, 197kg of tramadol, 2.7kg of cannabis sativa, five litres of cough syrup containing codeine and 99.8 grammes of methamphetamine from Onitsha to Kano sometime in August.
According to the charge, Ibeabuchi and Peter allegedly aided Vincent in transporting the substances, while Chigozie and Jude were allegedly found in possession of some of them at a luxury bus park in the Hotoro area of Kano.
All five defendants pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.
Counsel to the NDLEA, Aminu Umar, who appeared alongside Raliya Abdulaziz, urged the court to remand the defendants in a correctional facility pending trial.
Defence counsel, Abdulmalik Muhammad, requested a short adjournment to enable him to file bail applications on behalf of the defendants.
Justice S.M. Shuaibu adjourned the case until November 3 for hearing of the bail applications and ordered that the defendants be remanded in a correctional facility within the court’s jurisdiction pending further proceedings.
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