The remand of the two followed their arraignment on four counts of money laundering by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency. The NDLEA specifically accused Obiora of collaborating with one Chinedu, who is now at large, to conceal N128m in his (Obiora’s) personal savings bank account with Diamond Bank. The accused was said to have committed the offence between February 2014 and 2015. Ikenna and Obiora were said to have been arrested on September 9, 2015 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State, during the outward clearance of passengers onboard an Ethiad Airline flight to Brazil. The NDLEA prosecutor, Mr. Ibrahim Abu, also told the court that the sum of $34,000 was recovered from Ikenna, which he failed to declare to the Nigerian Customs Service, “knowing that the said money directly or indirectly represents proceeds of a criminal conduct, to wit: dealing and trafficking in narcotic drug.” Abu said the offence ran contrary to sections 2(5), 15(1)(b) and 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011, stressing that the accused were liable to being punished under sections 16(a) and 17(a) of the same law. Ikenna and Obiora however pleaded not guilty to the four counts leveled against them. Following bail applications by their lawyer, Mr. Victor Abana, Justice Saliu Saidu admitted each of Ikenna and Obiora to bail in the sum of N20m with two sureties each in like sum. The judge said one of the sureties must be a civil servant either with the federal or state government and must be on at least Level 17. The second surety, the judge said, must be a blood relation of the accused persons, who must own a landed property in Lagos and must also be resident in Lagos State. Justice Saidu also ordered the accused to deposit their international passport in the custody of the NDLEA. He, however, ordered the prison remand of the two accused pending when they will fulfill the bail conditions. Trial was adjourned till February 2, 2016, with the judge directing the prosecution to furnish the defence with the all the necessary court processes, so as to ensure speedy trial.]]>