A Nairobi court has given orders to detain five suspects in police custody for 10 days to give the investigators enough time to conclude their investigation into drug trafficking and unlawfully being in the country offences.
The suspects were arrested on May 29, 2024, by officers attached to the National Authority for Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse after an operation which included a search of their apartment in Kileleshwa and suspected narcotics.
The five, three Nigerian nationals and two Kenyans are Salako Oluwafeni Samuel, Adeleye Olushola Stephen, Akinshanya Olutayo Keshinko, Eve Amondi Ochieng and Maureen Cherono Kogo.
The investigators sought the time indicated based on the preliminary investigation which raised suspicion that Salako, Adeleye and Olushola are Nigerian nationals who are suspected to have entered the country illegally and need to confirm the same.
They are also suspected to be in the country purposely for the trafficking of narcotics where they could be using alias names which are yet to be identified jointly with Eve who is suspected to be the key accomplice with the three foreigners.
The officer leading the team of investigators Police Constable Boniface Mutisya told the Milimani principal magistrate Gilbert Shikwe that Maureen is the tenant of house number 401 in Gatundu Heights along Gatundu Road in Kileleshwa and does not reside there,
“She usually let the said house in Air b and b modalities and had allowed it to be used by the three foreigners where we suspect her being working together with them,” said Mutisya.
The officer reiterated that the suspected narcotics are yet to be subjected to the government laboratories for analysis and a report made for the same.
He also added that they are yet to identify the real nationality of the three respondents and determine their lawfulness of being in the country.
The respondents were further suspected to be working in syndicates within and outside Kenya and the arrest of their accomplices is yet to be conducted.
Mr Mutisya also told the magistrate that the three respondents are foreigners where their real names are unknown nor their place of abode and it will be difficult for them to be traced if released at this stage,
“Your honor we sufficiently introduced ourselves to access the house for several hours, they ceased to open while hiding inside the house and this is a clear indication that if they are released it will be difficult to re-arrest them,” he said.
Maureen who is the tenant of the house does not reside there and her place of abode is unknown if released at this point it will be hard for them to trace her.
In conclusion, the officer said that the offences the five respondents are being investigated for are very serious and grave and simply they can go to hiding.
The defence lawyers beseech the court to apply the Bill of Rights without discrimination and release the suspects on bond terms,
“Your honour the passports of the suspects had been confiscated by investigators hence they can’t leave Kenya’s jurisdiction,” prayed the defence.
The lawyer told the court that bond is a constitutional right to everyone regardless of being a foreigner and it shall be denied whenever there are compelling reasons.
He insisted that being a foreigner is not a compelling reason to deny the suspects their right to liberty.
The state prosecutor Judy Koech urged the court to dismiss the plea by the defence citing that the two Kenyan suspects have not produced any document to the investigators nor disclosed their places of abode,
“Your honor the two Kenyan suspects had not produced any document to show their real identity or disclosing their residence, releasing them will give hard times to the investigation,” she said.
In his ruling, the magistrate cited that the offence that the suspects are alleged to be very serious besides being foreigners and thorough investigations need to be conducted on the matter,
“I have considered the plea by the Investigating officer and the prosecution to give 10 days for the conclusion of the investigation and prefer the relevant charges to the suspects,” said the magistrate.
The court ordered the suspects to be detained at Capitol Hill Police Station for 10 days until June 10, 2024, when the matter will be mentioned for directions.