Court Remands SAHCO’s Manager, 7 Others in Prison 

An Assistant General Manager of Skyway Handling Company (SAHCO), Mr Olajide Ahmed Kafidipe, and seven employees of the company have been remanded at the Ikoyi Centre of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS), till when they meet the bail terms granted them, following their arraignment before a Lagos Federal High Court on drug-related offences

Justice Deinde Dipeolu, remanded Olajide and others, after admitting them to bail, on charges of conspiracy, unlawful possession, and transportation of 1,440.90 kilograms of Tramadol 225mg, a prohibited substance, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Others remanded at the Ikoyi Facility of the NCoS alongside Olajide are Sanyaolu Rasheed Oladele; Musa Mutalib Opeyemi; Sanamo Alla Daniel; Anuge Evans Isibor; Mahmud Agboola Musa; Udeh Felix and Obinna Henry.

After listening to the submissions of the Defendants’ Lawyers and the Prosecutor, Mr Abu Ibrahim, on the bail applications, Justice Dipeolu admitted bail to each of the Defendants in the sum of N5 million with two sureties in like sum.

One of the sureties according to the Judge, must be a Grade Level 12 Officer and above in a Federal Government establishment, while the second surety must be a landed property owner with a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) among others.

The Judge also ordered that all the particulars of the sureties must be verified by the court’s Deputy Chief Registrar (DCR). Consequently, the Judge ordered the remand of all the Defendants in the Ikoyi Centre of the NCoS. At the same time, he adjourned the matter to January 25, 2024, for the commencement of trial.

Mr Olajide Ahmed Kafidipe, an Assistant General Manager with SAHCO, and others were arraigned before the court by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on offences bordering on conspiracy, unlawful possession, and transportation of 1,440.90 kilograms of Tramadol 225mg, a prohibited substance.

The Prosecutor, Mr Abu Ibrahim, while arraigning the Defendants, told the court that they conspired with the trio of Mubarak Sarki Salami, Abdullahi Aliyu a.k.a Aboki, and Anwal Monday, who is also a staff 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 of the company, conspired among themselves to transport the prohibited drug out of SAHCO Import Shed.

Abu further informed the court that Olajide conspired with Sanyaolu Rasheed Oladele, and engaged 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, owned by Platinum Pacific International Limited.

He further informed the court that another staff 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. And 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.