Nigerian charged with drug trafficking

Dar es Salaam. 

Nigerian national Anthony Okafor yesterday appeared before the Kisutu Resident Magistrates’ Court charged with trafficking in drugs worth over Sh124 million.

Mr Okafor, 52, was, however, not allowed to enter a plea since the court has no jurisdiction to hear the case.

The prosecution, led by Senior State Attorney Prosper Mwangamila, told the court that the accused had in his possession 2,072 grams of cocaine with a street value of Sh124.5 million when he was arrested at the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) on Saturday.

Mr Okafor was remanded until June 25 when the case will come up for another mention.

Meanwhile, Mr Clarence Kasikila,40, appeared before the same court charged with posing as a government official.

The court heard that the accused went to Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) offices on June 3 and introduced himself as an official from the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau. He denied the charge and was released on bail until June 25 when the case will be mentioned.

Meanwhile in Arusha, there was tight security when the eight people charged in connection with the April bomb attack at a popular bar appeared in court for the second time.

Armed police and warders ringed the court with people being frisked and their bags searched before they were allowed into the courtroom.

Those who appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate Mustapher Siyani were Mr Abdallah Athumani, Mr Swalehe Hamisi, Mr Abdallah Yasini, Mr Hassan Saidi, Mr Sudi Lusuma, Mr Abdulkarim Hasia and Mr Shabaan Wawa.

They are also accused of recruiting young men in Arusha and elsewhere in the country to join Al Shabaab, a terrorist group based in Somalia which has been blamed for a series of grenade attacks and fatal shootings

The accused pleaded with the Court to order the police to release their mobile phone handsets, passports, clothes, shoes and other items and shoes so that they can hand them over to their relatives.

They claimed their personal items would be in much safer hands if they were handed over to their kin and kith than for them to remain in the police custody.

They also asked the court to allow their relatives to visit them in remand, where they had been locked up in the last two months.

The Citizen: