Five men were on Wednesday, August 16, arraigned before a Yaba Magistrates’ Court on a two-count charge of possession of Indian hemp and fake foreign currencies; Pounds Sterling and US dollars.
The prosecutor, Rita Momoh, told the court that the defendants were arrested on August 9, 2023, at White Sand, Ijora, Lagos State, after being nabbed with substances suspected to be Indian hemp and displaying them in public, an offence that was capable of causing a breach of peace.
The offence contravened and is punishable under Sections 329 and 442 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria.
The charge read in part, “That you, Francis Omwukei, Kingsley Ude, Umar Idris, Eyo, and Bright Ahamefula, on August 9, 2023, at White Sand, Ijora, in Lagos, in the Lagos State Magisterial District, did unlawfully had in your possession leaves suspected to be Indian hemp and two bags containing fake US Dollar currency, and pounds sterling currency, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 329 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.”
After the suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges, the magistrate Adeola Olatunbosun ordered that the defendants be kept in police custody for seven days, while the police duplicate and send the file to the DPP for legal advice.
Olatunbosun adjourned the case till August 23, 2023, for DPP advice.