Court remands 56-year-old man over Indian hemp storage

The Federal High Court, Lagos, has remanded a 56-year-old-man, Elisha Opara, in prison custody for allegedly keeping 57.36 kilogrammes of Indian hemp in his residence at Ikotun, Lagos. The court, presided over by Justice Nicholas Oweibo, ordered that Opara, a resident of 4, Aina Street, Ikotun, Lagos, be remanded in prison custody till August 14, […]

The Federal High Court, Lagos, has remanded a 56-year-old-man, Elisha Opara, in prison custody for allegedly keeping 57.36 kilogrammes of Indian hemp in his residence at Ikotun, Lagos.

The court, presided over by Justice Nicholas Oweibo, ordered that Opara, a resident of 4, Aina Street, Ikotun, Lagos, be remanded in prison custody till August 14, 2019 when his bail application will be heard and determined.

Justice Oweibo’s order was sequel to Opara’s arraignment before the court by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on charges of conspiracy, unlawful possession of the banned weed and illegal use of his house for keeping the narcotic.

The NDLEA had alleged that the defendant, on or about June 20, 2019,  used his house to warehouse 21.20 kilogrammes of Indian hemp, while he was also alleged to have allowed his house to be used by one Ifeanyi, who was said to be at large, to store 36.14kg of the same substance.

Opara pleaded not guilty to the charges and the prosecutor, Mr Ibrahim, urged the court to remand him in prison custody pending the conclusion of trial, as well as for a date for trial.

However, the defendant’s counsel, Mrs V. I. Ekwegh, while informing the court she would not be objecting a trial date, said she had filed her client’s bail application, which, according to her, had been served on the prosecution.

Ibrahim also told the court he had filed a counter-affidavit to the application.