By Feima Sesay
Edwin Uwa Ogbonna, a Nigerian national made another appearance before the principal Magistrate of the Freetown Magistrate Court No.1, Sahr Kekura and was remanded in custody over an alleged Kidnapping and possession of Cocaine and Kush .
The first prosecution witness Detective Police Constable Tapia Amara attached at the Transnational organized Crime unit (TOCU) recognized the accused in the dock and recalled On 22nd August 2024.
According to him , on that day, while on duty, a transferred case of kidnapping and unlawful possession of prohibited drugs was brought to the station for further investigation from The Lumley police station.
The witness said that the file contained an endows search warrant, statement of complainant, Balogun mosuro Abayomi and witness together with some exhibits.
He said the exhibits included quantity of white substance suspected to be cocaine in a transparent polythene bag and quantity of dried shredded leaves suspected to be kush,
Quantity of brown shedded leaves suspected to be cannabis sativa in clinical sachets, quantity of blue hand gloves and face mask, seven Sierra Leonean passports, one Liberia passport book, two ECOWAS traveling certificates, 2,000 Naira, one Samsung smart phone, $ 300, Le 1,500, one damage button phone and black jeep LNK-002.
He said the accused was handed over to him for further investigations.
Later during the court proceeding, the witness was crossed examined and questioned by defense Lawyer Z. A Kanu who also made an application for bail on behalf of the accused.
He argued that his client is not a flight risk and will not jump bail.
But the State prosecutor Idrissa Kamara objected that the accused is a Foreign national and will be a fligh risk by jumping bail.
The magistrate then denied him bail and the accused was remanded in custody until 24 September, 2024 for continuation of the case .
It could be recalled that the accused was first arraigned before the court on nine count charges ranging from; kidnapping, possession of prohibited drugs without license, dealing with prohibited drugs and using prohibited drugs without license.
The charge sheet indicated that accused Ogbonna on Tuesday 20 August, 2024 at Juba in Freetown, kidnapped Monsuru Abayomi Balogun.
The charge sheet further that the accused was found in possession of loose quantity of cocaine, cannabis sativa and kush without lawful authority.
The charge sheet further that the accused was found using prohibited drugs without lawful authority.
