EFCC arraign six for unauthorised fishing

Some of the accused

Six men were on Wednesday arraigned along with their company, Oshine Resources Ventures Limited, for unauthorised fishing by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The men, said to be apprehended by the Nigerian Navy on March 27, 2014, were arraigned before Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court , Lagos, on two counts.

The accused names were given as Adekunle Oshingbosi, Momodu Ibrahim, Idowu Tuesday, Yogbosi Christian, Benjamin Ayele and Anthony Mendeho.

In a charge tagged FHC/LG179C/2014, the EFCC alleged that the men fished in the Nigerian territorial waters without obtaining lawful authority.

According to the commission, the accused violated sections 1(1)(2) of the Seas Fishery Act Cap S4, 2004 by their actions.

Consequent upon their arraignment, their lawyer, Mr. Kehinde Yekeen, reminded the court of a bail application filed on their behalf.

Yekeen pleaded with the court to admit the accused persons to bail in liberal terms, “especially in view of the poor health of some of them.”

As the prosecution was not objected to the application for bail, Justice Buba admitted the six accused persons to N10m bail each with one surety each, who is to produce two recent passport photographs.

The court ordered that the accused should be remanded in the Ikoyi Prison pending when they would perfect their bail conditions.

Their lawyer, Yekeen, however pleaded with the court to allow one of the accused persons to be remanded in the EFCC’s custody on account of poor health condition but the prosecutor, Mr. Aliyu Yusuf raised an objection to the prayer.

The court subsequently adjourned the case till November October 27, 2014 for continuation of trial.

PUNCH