By Lukman Olabiyi
 
The Federal Government yesterday arraigned five men, including an official of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Saliu Abdullahi Danjuma, on eight-count charges bordering on illegal importation of 661 pump-action rifles into the country.
Others that were arraigned before Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High in Lagos, are Mahmud Hassan, Oscar Okafor, Donatus Achinulo, while Mathew Okoye, who was said to be at large, was also arraigned in absentia.
The offences preferred against the accused persons include conspiracy, importation of prohibited firearms, forgery, uttering of forged documents and bribery.
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.
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.
Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice said the accused brought the 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 officials of the NCS attached to the Federal Operative Unit to influence the said officers not to conduct a “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 N1 million to NCS official, Danjuma, 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 prosecuting counsel, K. A. Fagbemi, after the plea of the accused persons were taken by the court, applied for a date to commence trial, and also urged the court to order that the accused should be remanded in the prison custody pending trial.
Justice Faji adjourned till September 12, for definite hearing and also granted the prayer of the prosecution by ordering for remand of the accused in the prison custody.