Iranian charged with importation of bombs denies culpability

An Iranian, Azim Aghajani, charged alongside a Nigerian, Ali Jega, for allegedly importing weapons, including explosives, has denied culpability in the offence. He said he was deceived by the documents backing the importation of the consignment.
Aghajani, who continued his defence on Wednesday, told a Federal High Court, Lagos, that he had believed the bill of lading which, according to him, stated that the consignment consisted of building materials.
The accused, who was led in evidence by his counsel,  Mr. Chris Uche (SAN), said, “From the content of the bill of lading, I concluded that there was no unlawful item in the container.
“I was not able to see the content of the consignment until I was apprehended at the Naval Ordinance at Apapa, where the content of the container was revealed to contain arms and explosives.
“I sincerely never knew of the content of that consignment, neither did I make any representation that the consignment belonged to me.”
He told the court that prior to the engagement of his services by Behimen Trading Company in Iran, for the shipment of a container measuring 13 by 20 feet, he had never been to Lagos.
He said he was engaged to do a transhipment of the container from Nigeria to Gambia.
He told the court that the first problem he encountered during the transhipment was that the names of the consignee and the destination of the consignment were not on the bill of lading.
He said since he was disturbed by this discovery, he had written to Behimen Trading Company in Iran, had received no reply.
The trial judge, Justice Okechukwu Okeke, adjourned till Thursday for continuation of his testimony.
The accused were arraigned on March 7, 2011 before the court on five counts bodering on unlawful importation of fire arms, explosives and ammunition.
The prosecutor, Mr. Maduakor Livingstone, had alleged that they were apprehended by the custom officers on July 17, 2010, for illegally importing a 13 by 20 feet container loaded with arms, ammunition, explosives and rockets.
According to Livingstone, the alleged offences of  contravenes sections 3, 14, 18, and 47 of the firearms (special provisions) act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.