Italy-bound Woman Arrested With 2.55kg Of Heroin Docked

Chinyere With Her Prohibited ‘Goods’ After Arrest

Italy-bound Woman Arrested With 2.55kg Of Heroin Docked

Mrs Nnadi Nora Chinyere, who was arrested for attempted to Smuggle 2.55 kilograms of Heroin to Europe through Italy, has been arraigned before a Lagos Federal High Court, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) 

Chinyere who was alleged to have concealed the banned substance in Nigeria made hair relaxers, was arrested on August 3, during the outward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways at the Departure Hall of Murtala Mohammed international Airport, ikeja-Lagos.

She was arraigned on a count charge of unlawful dealing of the prohibited substance, the offence according to the prosecutor, Mr. Augustine Nwagu,  an offence contrary to and Punishable under Section 11 (b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. 

Upon her arraignment, she denied the offence and pleaded not guilty.

Following her not guilty plead, the prosecutor, Mr. Nwagu asked the court for a trial date and that she should be the remandedin the custody of the  Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), pending th determination of the charge against her.

However, counsel to the defendant, Mrs Ekwegh V. A in her submission told Justice Oweibo that while she was not  opposed to the prosecution’s request for a trial date, she however, informed the court that she has a bail summons which she intends to move.

Upon hearing submissions on the bail appllication, Justice Nicholas Oweibo, in a Bench ruling, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N5 million with two sureties in like sum.

In addition to the bail sum, the judge also held  that one the sureties must be landed property owners within the Jurisdiction or a civil servant in the Federal or Lagos State government employment and must not be bellow Grade Level 12.

Justice Oweibo further held  that the defendant should be remanded in the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Services (NCoS), Kirikiri, Lagos pending the perfection of her bail terms.

It would be recalled that operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, had on  August 3, 2021 arrested  Mrs. Nnadi Nora Chinyere, with 100 wraps of heroin and two parcels of the same substance at the departure hall of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos, during the outward clearance of passengers on a Qatar Airways flight to Florentine, Italy.Chiyere was caught with Heroin neatly concealed inside Petal hair relaxer containers.

In a related development, another woman, Okafor Ebere Edith, has been ordered to be remanded in the custody of NCoS, for trafficking in 600 grammes of Cocaine, by Justice Nicholas Oweibo.

Edith who was also arraigned before the court by the NDLEA, on Thursday.

Edith was arrested on July 31, with the banned substance during the outward clearance of passengers on Air Cote D’lvoire flight to Libera at the Departure Hall of Murtala Mohammed International Arport, Ikeja, Lagos.

The offence, the prosecutor, Mr. Augistine Nwagu, told the court, contravened Section 11 (b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and punishable under the same Act.

During the arraignment today, the prosecuting counsel, Mr Augustine Nwagwu told the court that he had a charge pending before the court and urged the court to allow the charge to be read so that the defendant can take his plea. 

Following the reading of the charge and the defendant plea of not-guilty, Nwagwu ask for a trial date and the remand of the defendant in the custody of the NCoS.

The defendant’s counsel Mrs Ekwegh  V. I. in her submission told the court that while she will not be opposing the request for a trial date, she, however, told the court that she has a bail application before the court and urged the court to allow her to move the application.

After moving the bail application, Justice Nicholas Oweibo in his ruling, granted bail to the defendant in the sum of N5 million with two sureties in like sum. 

The judge further ruled that the sureties must either be a landed property owner within the jurisdisction of the court or a civil servant not below Grade Level 12 in the Federal or Lagos State employment Justice Oweibo also ruled that the defendant should be remanded in the custody of the NCoS, pending the perfection of bail terms.