By Adeleye Kunle
The Federal High Court in Lagos set October 6 as the date for the trial of billionaire industrialist Afamefuna Mallinson Ukatu and his employee, Sunday Ifeanyi Ibekwute, on a prohibited drug charge.
Ukatu is the Managing Director of Mallinson & Partners Ltd, which the NDEA accused of importing two containers containing 1,284 cartons of Tramadol worth N22 billion in 2019.
The agency also claimed he was responsible for a N3 billion tramadol shipment linked to suspended police chief Abba Kyari.
After upholding Ukatu and Ibekwute’s bail applications filed during their arraignment, Justice Peter Lifu set the date for July 10, 2022.
Both defendants were granted bail in the amount of N100 million, with two sureties in the same amount.
According to the judge, one of the sureties must be an industrialist, specifically a member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) who owns landed property within the court’s jurisdiction.
The second surety must be a Grade 15 official from either the Federal or Lagos State government.
The judge also ordered the defendants to deposit their international passports with the court registry and to file an affidavit of dual citizenship if they have more than one nationality other than Nigerian.
The judge also ordered both defendants to report to the NDLEA every 14 days until the charges against them were resolved.
The registrars of the court, the judge added, should verify that they followed the bail terms.
Mr. Benson Ndakara, counsel for another defendant in the case, Pius Enidom, assured the court that he would make every effort to bring Enidom back to court to continue his trial.
