Arms importation: Judge orders journalists, lawyers, litigants to leave courtroom

Posted by admin Headlines Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

Citing the need to protect national security, a Federal High Court Judge, Justice Okechukwu Okeke yesterday ordered journalists, lawyers and litigants to leave the court room as trial commenced in the arms importation case against two persons, an Iranian and a Nigerian.

The Iranian, Azim Aghajani and Alli Abass Jega are currently being tried for allegedly importing arms illegally into Nigeria from Republic of Iran.
The judge made the pronouncement few minutes after the prosecution called its witness, who was led in evidence by the Director of Prosecution in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs Olufemi Fatunde. Abass Jega had told the court that he is a director of ammunition at the headquarters of Nigerian Army Abalti Barracks, Surulere, Lagos.

He noted that he was commissioned into the army in 1991 after three years in the Nigerian Defence Academy and that he had been deployed in many arms and ammunition depot across Nigeria.

Oladipo then began to give evidence on the procurement policy of the Nigerian Army. He said Nigerian Army has procurement policy but before he could continue, Justice Okereke quickly intervened and inquired from the prosecuting counsel, Mrs. Olatunde, whether she did not consider the matter about to be related by the witness to be security sensitive enough to be heard in secrecy.

Fatunde took the hints of the court and agreed that the evidence of her witness could be heard after the court had been cleared of non-interested parties. After hearing the lead counsel of the defence, Chief Chris Uche, who did not object to the proposal, the judge said “everybody including all counsel and parties, except the witness counsel and the accused persons in the matter should leave the court now.”

Everyone except the permitted parties left the court and further proceedings were held in secret.
The accused persons, Aghajani and Jega are standing trial for a four-count charge of illegal importation of arms and ammunition comprising bombs, grenades, and rockets, etc. into Nigeria.
The government had, among other things, alleged that the accused imported without licence 13 container loads of firearms and ammunition into Nigeria from Iran contrary to S1.(14) of the Firearms Act, Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.

-Sunwp_posts