An Abuja High Court on Thursday granted bail to an Iranian, Azim Aghajani, standing trial for alleged illegal arms importation into Nigeria on Oct. 25.
Aghajani, and three Nigerians Ali Abbas, Aliyu Wamako and Muhamma Umar were on Nov. 26 arraigned at an Abuja Chief Magistrate's Court by operatives of the State Security Service in connection with the alleged offence.
They were charged with illegally importing 13 deadly containers of arms into Nigeria.
Aghajani had said in his application for bail, filed through his counsel, Chris Uche, on Dec. 16 that the Bill of Lading of the shipment showed that the 13 containers of arms were meant for the Gambian Government.
He insisted that the arms were not destined for Nigeria but were only intercepted by the SSS when the ship docked at the Lagos Port for the occupants to replenish their food supplies.
In his ruling, Justice Ishaq Bello of the FCT High Court granted Aghajani bail in the sum of N20 million and two sureties in like sum.
He said the sureties must be senior members of staff of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Bello ordered the Iranian Government to ensure the appearance of the accused when his trial resumes in January 2011 at the Magistrate's Court.
prosecution counsel Mohammed Idakwo was absent in court and did not send any representative.
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Arms shipment: UN team visits Nigeria in January.
A United Nations team will visit Nigeria in the third week of January over the arms shipment intercepted from Iran.
The eight-man UN panel of experts on Iran will arrive Nigeria tentatively on Jan. 18 or 21, for a three day working visit.
A Nigerian, Maj-Gen. Ishola Williams, is a member of the panel, which is coordinated by Salomé Zourabichvili of France.
Other members of the panel expected to visit Nigeria are Jonathan Brewer from the UK, Kenichiro Matsubayashi from Japan, and Jacqueline W. Shire from the U.S.
Also on the team are, Elena Vodopolova from Russian, Christof Wegner from Germany and Wenlei Xu of the People’s Republic of China.
The eight-man panel while in Nigeria will meet with officials of some key government agencies involved in the investigation.
They will also inspect the seized cache of arms.
Nigeria reported Iran to the UN in November after security agents intercepted weapons hidden among building materials on a ship docked in Lagos in October.
An Iranian man and three Nigerians had been accused of attempting to import the arms.
Iran is under UN Security Council sanctions, including an arms embargo, over its nuclear programme.
The Panel of Experts, which monitors states' implementation of the sanctions, would report on whether the weapons seized in Nigeria is a violation of the sanction.
Aghajani, and three Nigerians Ali Abbas, Aliyu Wamako and Muhamma Umar were on Nov. 26 arraigned at an Abuja Chief Magistrate's Court by operatives of the State Security Service in connection with the alleged offence.
They were charged with illegally importing 13 deadly containers of arms into Nigeria.
Aghajani had said in his application for bail, filed through his counsel, Chris Uche, on Dec. 16 that the Bill of Lading of the shipment showed that the 13 containers of arms were meant for the Gambian Government.
He insisted that the arms were not destined for Nigeria but were only intercepted by the SSS when the ship docked at the Lagos Port for the occupants to replenish their food supplies.
In his ruling, Justice Ishaq Bello of the FCT High Court granted Aghajani bail in the sum of N20 million and two sureties in like sum.
He said the sureties must be senior members of staff of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Bello ordered the Iranian Government to ensure the appearance of the accused when his trial resumes in January 2011 at the Magistrate's Court.
prosecution counsel Mohammed Idakwo was absent in court and did not send any representative.
.....................................
Arms shipment: UN team visits Nigeria in January.
A United Nations team will visit Nigeria in the third week of January over the arms shipment intercepted from Iran.
The eight-man UN panel of experts on Iran will arrive Nigeria tentatively on Jan. 18 or 21, for a three day working visit.
A Nigerian, Maj-Gen. Ishola Williams, is a member of the panel, which is coordinated by Salomé Zourabichvili of France.
Other members of the panel expected to visit Nigeria are Jonathan Brewer from the UK, Kenichiro Matsubayashi from Japan, and Jacqueline W. Shire from the U.S.
Also on the team are, Elena Vodopolova from Russian, Christof Wegner from Germany and Wenlei Xu of the People’s Republic of China.
The eight-man panel while in Nigeria will meet with officials of some key government agencies involved in the investigation.
They will also inspect the seized cache of arms.
Nigeria reported Iran to the UN in November after security agents intercepted weapons hidden among building materials on a ship docked in Lagos in October.
An Iranian man and three Nigerians had been accused of attempting to import the arms.
Iran is under UN Security Council sanctions, including an arms embargo, over its nuclear programme.
The Panel of Experts, which monitors states' implementation of the sanctions, would report on whether the weapons seized in Nigeria is a violation of the sanction.
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