(Police Officers. Photo by Guardian Nigerin News)
The Ekiti Police Command accused five defendants of possessing Indian hemp on Thursday at the Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrates’ Court.
Omotoso Opeyemi, 29; Folorunso Emmanuel, 28; Lamidi Alaba, 42; Sanmi Ojo, 38; and Babatunde Abimbola, 26, are accused of possessing Indian hemp on one count.
Insp. Elijah Adejare, the police prosecutor, said the court that the defendants committed the crime at Ado-Ekiti on August 12 at around 8:00 a.m.
He said that the offenders were in possession of illegal substances and plants that may have been Indian hemp.
Section 5(b) of the Indian Hemp Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, was violated, according to Adejare.
In order to review the case file and call his witnesses, he asked the court to postpone the proceedings.
However, the defendants entered a not guilty plea to the preferred accusation against them.
Mr. Adedayo Awe, the defendants’ attorney, pled with the judge to grant them bail in exchange for a pledge that they would not jump bail.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Kehinde Awosika, decided to award each defendant N20,000 in bail, along with a guarantee of the same amount.
After that, Awosika postponed the hearing to October 15.
