NIGERIA: The High Court in Lagos bails fifteen Russian sailors held for five months on charges of smuggling arms into the country.

Record ID: 235992

  • Title: NIGERIA: The High Court in Lagos bails fifteen Russian sailors held for five months on charges of smuggling arms into the country.
  • Date: 25th February 2013
  • Summary: LAGOS, NIGERIA (FEBRUARY 25, 2013) (REUTERS) WIDE EXTERIOR OF HIGH COURT IN LAGOS JUSTICE SYMBOL WITH NIGERIAN FLAG FLYING SIGNAGE READING: "FEDERAL HIGH COURT" VARIOUS OF RUSSIAN SAILORS WALKING INTO THE COURT PREMISES NIGERIAN SOLDIER CARRYING A WEAPON RUSSIAN SAILORS WALKING INTO THE COURT ROOM EXTERIOR OF JUSTICE LAMBO HALL VARIOUS OF RUSSIAN SAILORS WALKING OUT OF THE COURT ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHUKWUWIKE OKAFOR, DEFENCE LAWYER, SAYING: "I'm glad that everybody, the court, the prosecution, they saw the need that the accused persons be granted bail. They've been in detention since five months and I mean it is.... even our laws permit that they should be granted bail at this stage and the offence they are charged with are bailable offences." RUSSIAN SAILORS LOOKING ON (SOUNDBITE) (English) FEMI FAJOLU, BARRISTER, SAYING: "The bond is enough, it is a First Bank guarantee, that should be sufficient. I think it's a good one for both sides, we're talking about two nations, Nigeria and Russia, they won't run away. You know we have a good relationship with the Russian government, they won't run away so they'll come back to face trial." VARIOUS LAWYERS TALKING
  • Embargoed: 12th March 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVABCWBC3P3YV76GZALIP40ZD5TB
  • Story Text: Fifteen Russian sailors charged with illegally taking weapons into Nigeria last year were granted bail on Monday (February 25) and released until a hearing in early April, a Lagos court ruled.
    Nigerian authorities intercepted a ship and arrested its Russian crew on October 23 after they found several guns and around 8,500 rounds of ammunition on board.
    The Russian sailors have pleaded not guilty and the Moran Security Group, the Russian company that owns the confiscated vessel, has said the ship had permission to carry arms, calling the accusations "groundless".
    "I'm glad that everybody, the court, the prosecution, they saw the need that the accused persons be granted bail. They've been in detention since five months and I mean it is.... even our laws permit that they should be granted bail at this stage and the offence they are charged with are bailable offences," defence lawyer, Chukwuwike Okafor said after the hearing.
    He said that, under the terms of the $500,000 bail, the sailors were not allowed to leave Nigeria and were under the care of the Russian ambassador, who must ensure they return for the hearing in April.
    "The bond is enough, it is a First Bank guarantee, that should be sufficient. I think it's a good one for both sides, we're talking about two nations, Nigeria and Russia, they won't run away. You know we have a good relationship with the Russian government, they won't run away so they'll come back to face trial," Femi Fajolu, a lawyer based in Lagos said.
    Russia's Foreign Ministry has also spoken out against the charges, saying Nigeria had broken an earlier promise to release the sailors.
    Arms smuggling to and through Nigeria is rife. Demand for weapons is great because of an Islamist rebellion in the north, armed robbery and kidnapping by gangs in the south and oil theft and piracy in the southeast.
    The country is also sometimes used as a conduit for shipping arms to other conflict-ridden parts of West Africa.
    In 2010, a consignment of rocket launchers, grenades and other explosives from Iran was seized in Lagos, causing a diplomatic row between Nigeria and Iran. It also strained ties between Iran and Senegal, which accused Iranian security forces of trying to supply weapons to its Casamance rebels.
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