NIGERIA: Lagos court sentences an alleged member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard and a Nigerian accomplice to five years in prison for arms smuggling

Record ID: 236062

  • Title: NIGERIA: Lagos court sentences an alleged member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard and a Nigerian accomplice to five years in prison for arms smuggling
  • Date: 13th May 2013
  • Summary: LAGOS, NIGERIA (MAY 13, 2013) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF FEDERAL HIGH COURT IN LAGOS WITH JUSTICE SYMBOL SIGN-POST READING: "FEDERAL HIGH COURT" VARIOUS OF AZIM ADHAJANI FROM IRAN WALKING INTO COURT WITH LAWYERS AND SECURITY OFFICIALS SIGN ON DOOR READING: "JUSTICE LAMBO HALL" COURTROOM VARIOUS OF ADHAJANI TALKING TO LAWYERS VARIOUS OF ADHAJANI WALKING OUT OF COURT ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTION, FUNMILAYO FATUNDE, SAYING: "The judge has a discretion under the law and he has exercised his discretion judicially and judiciously and that is it." LAWYERS AND OTHERS WALKING OUT OF COURTROOM (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEFENCE LAWYER, CHRIS UCHE, SAYING: "We came here expecting an acquittal but the reverse is the case. It's only in count two that he was acquitted and if you look at it very well, count two draws from count one so we don't see why he should have been convicted in respect of count one and this is a man who came only to facilitate trans-shipment, he couldn't have been an importer from Tehran because importation implies that you should have been here from this country so we intend to challenge this judgement on appeal." FEDERAL HIGH COURT
  • Embargoed: 28th May 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: General,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA9Z6FM9X5UN788PN2W107VGH6O
  • Story Text: A Nigerian court sentenced an alleged member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard and a Nigerian accomplice to five years in prison on Monday (May 13) over an illegal shipment of mortars and rockets seized in the main port of Lagos in 2010.
    The shipment included rockets and other explosives that had been hidden in containers of building materials when authorities found it. Iran is barred from shipping weapons abroad under United Nations sanctions.
    Azim Adhajani, accused of being a Tehran-based businessman and member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, was found guilty with Abuja-based businessman Ali Usman Abbas Jega of importing illegal goods, false declaration on a bill of laden and concealment of firearms.
    They and two more Nigerian suspects, customs clearing agents Ali Oroji Wamako and Mohammed Tukur, had also been charged with conspiring to re-export the illegal shipment to Banjul, Gambia, but this charge was not addressed.
    The seized weapons included assorted calibers of mortars and 107 mm rockets - designed to attack static targets and used by armies to support infantry units - as well as shells for a 23 mm anti-aircraft gun.
    The two men have already spent more than two years in prison awaiting trial, time which will count towards their sentence.
    Defence lawyer Chris Uche said the defence was planning to appeal.
    "We came here expecting an acquittal but the reverse is the case. It's only in count two that he was acquitted and if you look at it very well, count two draws from count one so we don't see why he should have been convicted in respect of count one and this is a man who came only to facilitate trans-shipment, he couldn't have been an importer from Tehran because importation implies that you should have been here from this country so we intend to challenge this judgement on appeal."
    Reports that Iranian security forces were ultimately trying to supply weapons to Casamance rebels in the shipment strained ties between Iran and Senegal.
    Senegal's Casamance region lies between Gambia to the north and Guinea-Bissau to the south. Separatist Casamance rebels have been fighting a low-intensity conflict for the independence of the region since the 1980s.
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