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| Court gavel used to illustrate the story |
Monday, seven unemployed men were scheduled to appear in court in Karu, Abuja's Upper Area, on charges of causing a nuisance.
The following people were accused by the police of criminal conspiracy, creating a noxious environment, and causing nuisance: Emmanuel Lebechi, Oriyomi Adeinka, Godwin Madaki, Daniel Udo, Ebuka Augustine, Barnabas Patrick, and Ebuka Ejezie.
The defendants committed the crime on October 16 in the Nyanya neighbourhood of Abuja, according to the prosecution's attorney, Olanrewaju Osho.
He claimed that as a patrol squad was circling Nyanya's "black spots" they came upon the defendants smoking what appeared to be marijuana but were actually dry leaves (weed).
He claimed that during the police inquiry, the defendants were unable to provide a convincing justification for what they were all doing in the black area.
According to him, the act of smoking “Indian Hemp” by the defendants was causing discomfort at the neighbourhood.
The offence, he said, contravened the provisions of sections 97, 192 and 199 of the Penal Code. The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the offence.
The Judge, Ishaq Hassan, granted the defendants bail in the sum of N50,000 each with one surety each in like sum.
He ordered that the sureties must live within the court jurisdictions and adjourned the case until November 8, for a hearing.