Court remands 15 suspected drug peddlers

YUSUF MUHAMMED

A magistrates’ court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State, southwest Nigeria, has remanded 15 suspected drug peddlers including a 23-year-old woman identified as Sophia Segun in Kirikiri prison.

The suspects are Sunmoni Olatunde, Olayinka Owoseri, Habeeb Famisanmi, Temitope Odedeji, Chiegozie Raphael, Azeez Folorunsho, Saheed Ali, Oladehinde Wasiu, Tony Ohieneghor, Akeem Tajudeen, Oyerinde Femi, Sophia Segun, Ramoni Jengbaye, Babatunde Adekunle and Fatai Rasheed.

They were arrestecd and charged to court for allegedly being in unlawful possession of several bags of weeds suspected to be marijuana and several wraps of illicit drug suspected to be cocaine.

The suspects were arrested at Akerele Street, Agege by police operatives attached to Area ‘G’ Police Command, Ogba following a tip off by members of the public on the activities of hoodlums in the community.

The prosecutor lnsp Rachael Williams told the court that the suspects were arrested on 11 December, 2015 at Akerele Street, Agege at about 9:00am in possession of the illicit drugs.

She said the offence the accused committed is contrary to and punishable under section 327 of the criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.

Out of the 15 accused persons, only 42-year-old Ramoni Jengbaye pleaded guilty to all four-count charge while the rest of them pleaded not guilty.

The presiding Magistrate Mrs. L.Y. Balogun granted them bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum.

The magistrate adjourned the matter till 21 January, 2016 and ordered the accused to be remanded in Kirikiri Prison pending when they will meet their bail condition.