17th December, 2013
.28 year old wealth sparks suspicion of drug business
The Nigerian Federal High Court sitting in the eastern city of Enugu on Tuesday commenced hearing into the suit against one Chuka Eze, an India-based Nigerian charged with drug trafficking.
Eze is being prosecuted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on a one-count charge of drug trafficking.
He is also accused of transferring the proceeds through the Western Union Money Transfer to his younger brother in Enugu for estate development.
Mr Moses Onyia, the prosecution counsel for the NDLEA, told the court that the estate was situated at Nike in the Enugu East Local Government Area.
Onyia said the information on the activities of Eze was leaked to the agency by a patriotic Nigerian who preferred anonymity.
According to the counsel, the accused is using three banks to launder the proceeds to his immediate younger brother back home, Mr Eric Eze, a student of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT).
He said that so far, the accused had transferred the sum of N76 million through the banks to his brother who has been using the proceeds to build the estate for him in his village.
The NDLEA counsel said that construction was still ongoing at the site when some officials of the agency visited.
“The puzzling aspect is that the accused is just 28 years old and comes from a very poor background.
“A young man who has no inheritance cannot make that kind of money in two years. What kind of business is he doing over there?” he queried.
However, the counsel to the accused, Mrs Uzoamaka Nwankwo, said her client was a very successful business man who dealt on handsets.
Nwankwo said the estate at Nike was being done from legitimate proceeds from the business and not from an alleged drug business.
She told the court that her client was only being framed by enemies who were jealous of his achievement.
Justice Dorathy Agishi adjourned the case till Jan. 28 for continuation of hearing.