An Assistant General Manager of Skyway Handling Company Limited, SAHCO, Olajide Ahmed Kafidipe, and seven staff members of the company, have been arraigned on charges of unlawful dealing in prohibited drugs.
Olajide was arraigned on Tuesday, January 16, alongside seven others by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, before Justice Dehinde Isaac Dipeolu on three counts bordering on conspiracy, unlawful importation and possession of 1,440.90 kilogram of Tramadol.
The seven workers of the company arraigned alongside Olajide were Sanyaolu Rasheed Oladele; Musa Mutalib Opeyemi; Sanamo Alla Daniel; Anuge Evans Isibor; Mahmud Agboola Musa; Udeh Felix and Obinna Henry.
Counsel for the prosecution, Abu Ibrahim, while arraigning the SAHCO staff members, told the court that all the defendants conspired with the trio of Mubarak Sarki Salami, Abdullahi Aliyu, aka Aboki and Anwal Monday, who is also a staff member of the company but now at large, to commit the offences on or about October 25, 2023.
The prosecutor further informed the court that Olajide and other staff members of the company, conspired amongst themselves to transport 1, 440.90 kilograms of Tramadol 225mg, a narcotic from SAHCO Import Shed.
The prosecutor also told the court that Olajide, conspired with Sanyaolu Rasheed Oladele, and hired one Lawal Itunu Temitope, to transport the prohibited substance from SAHCO Import Shed in a Mercedes Benz Bus with Registration Number LAGOS MUS 269 YC, belonging to Platinum Pacific International Limited.
He further revealed that another staff member of SAHCO, Sanyaolu Rasheed Oladele, unlawfully possessed the said 1,440.90 kilograms of Tramadol 225mg, a narcotic analgesic.
The prosecutor told the court that the offences committed by the defendants contravened sections 14 (b), 21 (2)(d) and 20 (1)(c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. He said they are punishable under sections 11 (b) and 20 (2)(b) of the same Act.
All the defendants denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following their not-guilty plea, the prosecutor asked the court for a trial date and also urged the court to remand them in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services, NCoS, till the hearing and determination of the charge.
However, lawyers of the defendants told the court that they had filed their clients’ bail applications except that of the Assistant General Manager, Kafidipe Ahmed Olajide and Obinna Henry.
The lawyer therefore requested the court for a short date to enable them to file the bail applications for the duo.
With the development, the prosecutor, urged the court to remand all the defendants in NCoS’ custody till when the court hears their bail applications.
But the trial judge, Justice Dipeolu, in his reasoning, ordered the operatives of the NDLEA to call their Airport Commander, to allow the defendants to be remanded in their custody till Wednesday, January 17, when their bail applications will be heard and determined.
Upon compliance with the court’s directive, which was granted by the Commander, the court ordered the remand of all the defendants in NDLEA till Wednesday, and adjourned the matter to January 24, 2024, for the commencement of their trial.
NDLEA had in November 2023, busted a drug syndicate using the SAHCO shed of the Lagos airport.
The agency said it had arrested six members of a syndicate using their official cover to facilitate the smuggling of illicit drugs through the Skyway Aviation Handling Company warehouse at the Lagos airport into the country have been arrested.
However, sources revealed that one of the people involved identified as Jide was the cargo manager for SAHCO. But his name was left out in the statement.
According to the sources, Jide’s personal vehicle – a Mercedes Benz car – was used to carry drugs.
“He took it to the SAHCO Courier shed.
“A gate to the tarmac locked by customs and SAHCO was used and they didn’t break the lock, which means that they had access. This place is the airside
“SAHCO left theirs open and customs also claimed they forgot to lock theirs. They allowed them to go,” one of the sources said.
The sources expressed disappointment that other major agencies like the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, and NDLEA do not have access to lock the gate.
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