The Lagos State Police Command has arraigned five men before a magistrate court sitting in Yaba on a two-count charge of possession of Indian hemp and fake foreign currencies; Pounds Sterling and US dollars.
According to The PUNCH, the suspects, are, Francis Omwukei, 26; Kingsley Ude, 33; Umar Idris, 37; Eyo, 27 and Bright Ahamefula, 26.
The state’s attorney, Rita Momoh, testified that the defendants were apprehended in White Sand, Ijora, Lagos State, on August 9, 2023.
Momoh claims the defendants’ public display of what they believed to be Indian hemp constitutes a criminal violation with the potential to disrupt public order.
She went on to say that the crime is illegal and punishable under Nigerian law, namely Sections 329 and 442.
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.”
The accused, however, entered a not guilty plea to the accusations.
The magistrate mandated that the defendants be held in police custody for seven days in the absence of a remand warrant while the police duplicate and transmit the file to the DPP for legal counsel.
For DPP guidance, Olatunbosun postponed the case until August 23, 2023.
