Produce medical reports of suspected firearms importers – Court orders Prison officials

The Federal High Court in Lagos, yesterday, ordered prison authorities to produce before it the medical reports detailing the health status of four out of the five men charged with illegal firearms importation of 661 pump-action rifles by the federal government.

Issuing the directive to the authorities of the Ikoyi Prisons, where the accused persons were remanded, Justice Ayokunle Faji said the medical reports must be made available to the court before October 4, which is the next hearing date in the case.

The judge’s order was based on concern expressed by the third accused person’s counsel, Paul Ananaba (SAN), on the health status of his client.

Also the counsel to the second accused person, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), informed the court that he had formally communicated to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation the intention of his client to enter into a plea bargain with the federal government.

The accused persons are: Mahmud Hassan, Oscar Okafor, Donatus Achinulo, Matthew Okoye, said be at large, and Salihu Danjuma. They were arraigned before the court by the federal government on an eight count charge of conspiracy, importation of prohibited firearms, forgery, uttering of forged documents, and bribery.

It could be recalled that Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, had in July opposed the bail application of ​the accused persons were first arraigned in June for allegedly crime.

#Court #prisonofficials