A Federal Excessive Court docket sitting in Lagos has fastened September 9 to rule on whether or to no longer grant bail to a Nigerian, Isiaka Musa and two Guineans, Traore Djakouba (Yakubu) and Mohammed Berete.
They are being charged with conspiracy and attempting to smuggle substantial quantities of elephant tusks, pangolin scales and claws international.
After listening to the arguments of the prosecuting and defence counsel on Wednesday, Justice Tijjani Ringim fastened the date for the ruling.
The court took arguments on whether or no longer the counter affidavit submitted by the Prosecuting agency, the Nigerian Customs Carrier was competent as a results of the failure to affix the NBA designate of the prosecuting counsel on the court paperwork.
Ruling on the subject, Justice Ringim agreed with the apt adviser to the Nigerian Customs Carrier, Smooth Akande, that shutting out the prosecution on this basis will quantity to a technicality that can infringe on the agency’s most important rights.
Therefore, the counsel on either facet took turns to argue the bail application.
The prosecutor, Smooth Akande, in opposing bail submitted that there is compelling evidence to link the accused other folks to the crime. He also argued that two of them are foreigners who can also just soar bail if granted.
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He careworn that the exclusively identified address for the foreigners was the distance of arrest within the Ajah house of Lagos which had been sealed up by officers of the Nigerian Customs Carrier and there was no identified file of another space the place they are able to stay, a divulge which makes the likely of jumping bail greater.
In the likelihood that the court was minded granting bail, the prosecutor asked the court to impose stringent prerequisites which can guarantee their attendance at trial.
In countering the arguments, the defence counsel, Olayinka Lawal commended the court that the defendants would no longer soar bail. He described as speculative the considerations that they’d ticket so.
Lawal also drew the courts attention to the truth that the defendants had relations and mates within the nation, about a of whom had deposed to affidavits hooked as a lot as their bail applications.
He entreated the court to issue its discretion of their favour and grant bail which he talked about they had been constitutionally entitled to secure pleasure from.
After listening to the arguments, Justice Ringim adjourned till the 9th of September for his ruling.