Accused Persons Settle For Plea Bargain Over Illegal Importation Of 661 Pump-Action Rifles
Two out of the five accused persons arraigned before the Federal High Court in Lagos by the Federal Government for unlawful importing 661 pump-action rifles into the country Monday opted to enter into a plea bargain arrangement with the prosecution.
The two accused persons, Oscar Okafor and Donatus Achinulo indicated their intentions to change their plea from not guilty to guilty after they changed their lawyers.
The two men alongside Mahmud Hassan, Matthew Okoye, said to be at large, and Salihu Danjuma were arraigned before Justice Ayokunle Faji by the Attorney General of the Federation on June 14 this year in an eight count charge of conspiracy, importation of prohibited firearms, forgery, altering of forged documents, and bribery.
During the proceedings, all the accused persons had pleaded not guilty to the charges and based on the gravity of the offences leveled against them, Justice Faji refused to grant them bail.
At the resumed hearing of the case on Monday, Oscar Okafor and Donatus Achinulo through their new lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) and Paul Ananaba (SAN), told the judge that they were ready to change their pleas.
The development forced the court to adjourn the case till September 26 with an order for them to notify the AGF of their intention.
In the charges, the AGF said the accused persons brought 661 pump-action rifles into the country from Turkey through the Apapa Port in Lagos, using a 40-feet container, which they falsely claimed contained steel doors.
To facilitate the illegal importation, the accused allegedly forged a number of documents, including a bill of lading, a Form M and a Pre-Arrival Assessment Report.
According to the prosecution, in order to evade payment of Customs duty, the accused allegedly forged a bill of lading issued at Istanbul on January 9, 2017, falsely claiming that it was issued at Shanghai, China.
In the forged bill of lading, they allegedly filled “steel door” as the content of the container instead of rifles.
They were also said to have allegedly offered a bribe of N400,000 to an official of the Nigeria Customs Service attached to the Federal Operative Unit to influence the said officer not to conduct “100 per cent search on the 40-feet container with number PONU 825914/3.”
The prosecution also alleged that the first accused, Hassan, corruptly gave N1m to government officials at the Apapa Port in order to prevent the search of the container by Customs officials.
In the last count, the Federal Government alleged that the defendants had between 2012 and 2016, illegally imported several double-barreled shotguns, pump-action rifles and single-barreled shotguns into the country through Lagos.
The offences were said to be contrary to sections 1(2)(c), 1(14) (a)(i) and 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2014.
But upon their arraignment on June 14, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.