The arraignment of a billionaire businessman, Chief Afam Mallinson Ukatu, linked with the suspended DCP Abba Kyari, over alleged N3 billion tramadol deal, was on Wednesday stalled at a Federal High Court in Lagos.
The businessman was billed to be docked alongside two of his staff, Pius Enidom, and Sunday Ifeanyi Ibekwute by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on a 5-count charge bordering on conspiracy and unlawful importation of narcotic drugs without lawful authority before Justice Nicholas Oweibo.
However, the defendants’ arraignment was stalled owing to a petition by Ukatu’s lawyer, Victor Opara (SAN), to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court seeking transfer of the case to another judge.
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At Wednesday’s proceedings, NDLEA’s lawyer, Jerry Aernan, told the judge that the defendants were absent in court owing to a petition written to the Chief Judge for the transfer of the case.
“Essentially this matter was adjourned till today for arraignment of the defendants today but they were not produce in court because I came across a petition written to the Chief Judge for the transfer of this case. The Chief Judge has acted on the petition and transfer this matter to Justice Peter Lifu,” Aernan said.
Speaking on the issue, one of the defence lawyers, Chief Benson Ndakara, expressed his disappointment over the petition, saying he was shocked that it was written by a lawyer who never appeared in the case.
“I am very surprised that a senior lawyer like Victor Opara (SAN) can write a petition on a matter that he never featured in. I am not aware of such letter, therefore, I have written a letter dated 8th of June, 2022, distancing myself from this embarrassing action of the writer of that petition seeking the transfer of the case out of this court,” Ndakara said.
In his intervention, Justice Oweibo disclosed that he has received a letter from the Chief Judge transferring the suit to another court.
“The Chief Judge normally send such letter to us for our response which is not the case here but surprisingly I just saw letter of transfer of the case from my court. However, I thank God that a file is going out from my busy docket,” the judge said.
Ukatu, who is the Chairman of Mallinson Group of Companies, was arrested after months of surveillance by NDLEA operatives while on board a flight to Abuja at the MM2 Terminal of the Lagos Airport, Ikeja on April 13, 2022.
NDLEA disclosed that its investigations has revealed that the suspect has been a major importer of large consignments of different brands and high dosages of tramadol hydrochloride, ranging from 120mg, 200mg, 225mg and 250mg, all of which are illicit.
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He was said to own pharmaceutical and plastic manufacturing companies, which he used as a cover to import illicit drugs into Nigeria as well as operating 103 bank accounts, most of which are used to launder money.
Ukatu came under NDLEA’s radar in 2021 after five cartons of Tramadol weighing 225mg were seized from his staff on May 4, 2021, when he sent them to sell to undercover police officers.
According to NDLEA, the price of a carton of tramadol was negotiated at N17 million each as against the then black market value that ranged between N18 million and N20 million per carton in Lagos.
NDLEA disclosed further that after the arrest of Ukatu’s staff; Pius Enidom and Sunday Ibekwete, Kyari’s men were then led by the suspects to Mallinson’s warehouse at Ojota in Lagos, where 197 additional cartons of tramadol 225mg were seized by the IRT Team.
The monetary value of the 202 cartons of tramadol seized from Mallinson in one day was said to be over N3 billion.
According to NDLEA, three weeks after the seizure, the Kyari’s IRT team transferred only 12 cartons of the tramadol with one truck and a suspect to the Lagos Command of the NDLEA, leaving 190 cartons unaccounted for.
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