An Iranian, Azim Aghajani, standing trial for the alleged unlawful importation of firearms and explosives to Nigeria, on Wednesday said that he did not know the contents of the container. Aghajani made the testimony before Justice Okechukwu Okeke of the Federal High Court, Lagos, at the resumed hearing of the case. Aghajani was charged alongside a Nigerian, Ali Jega, on a five-count charge of unlawful importation of arms and explosives to Nigeria. Led in evidence by his counsel, Mr Chris Uche (SAN), Aghajani said that prior to the engagement of his services by Behimen Trading company in Iran for the shipment of a 13ft by 20ft container, he had never been to Lagos. He said he was engaged to do a trans-shipment of the container from the Nigerian port to The Gambia. Aghajani said that the first problem he encountered during the transaction was that in the bill of lading, the name of the consignee and destination of the consignment was vacant. He claimed that he wrote to Behimen Trading company in Iran to inform the owners of the consignment but received no reply. “From the content of the bill of lading, I concluded that there was no unlawful item in the container. "I was not opportune 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," Aghajani said. He said that before his arrest, he had employed the services of one Mohammed Tukur, to whom he had explained the content of the bill of lading. Aghajani said Tukur had said that he had communicated with the Nigerian Customs Service and was making preparations for the safe transportation of the consignment. After listening to the testimony, Justice Okeke further adjourned the case to Jan. 10 for continuation of hearing. The accused were arraigned on March 7, 2011 on charges bordering on unlawful importation of firearms, explosives and ammunition into Nigeria. The prosecutor, Mr Maduakor Livingstone, said that the accused were apprehended by customs officers on July 17, 2010, for illegally importing a container loaded with arms, ammunition, and bomb explosives and rockets. He said the accused persons also made a false declaration in their bill of lading that the container contained 'glass wool' and pallet of stones contrary to the Customs and Excise Management Act 2004. The prosecutor said the offences of contravened sectioned the Firearms (Special Provisions) act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges but were ordered to be remanded in prison custody by the judge. The judge had said that the case should be treated with caution, especially in the wake of recent developments.
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