Two Cyprus-based Nigerian nationals, Jesutimileyin Bolarinwa Adelasa and Excellent Chizorom

Anthony Okoro, have been remanded in custody after the cops allegedly found drugs, bullet casings and a hand grenade in their residence. 

The Peoples Gazette gathered that Mr Adelasa was initially arrested in Lefkoşa on the night of April 22, 2026 after he was stopped by members of the Crime Prevention Branch based on suspicion, resulting in the discovery of three grams of a substance believed to be cannabis on him. 

Following Mr Adelasa’s arrest, police applied for additional warrants to search the suspect’s home in Taşkinköy, where another one gram suspected narcotics was found alongside a bullet casing, a training-type hand grenade assessed as non-explosive, and a plastic grinder assumed to contain drug residue.

Mr Okoro was eventually arrested during the raid after a metal grinder suspected to contain drug residue was also found in his room at the same address, according to the Northern Cyprus News. 

Both Messrs Adelasa and Okoro were later charged to court with police testifying that the two defendants had been living in Cyprus illegally. Mr Adelasa reportedly became undocumented in January 2022, while Mr Okoro had no authorisation to live in the country since November 2023.

During the recent preliminary hearing, authorities informed the court that the seized items had been sent for forensic analysis and requested an additional six days of detention for ongoing investigations.

Mr Okoro argued in court that the grenade was not functional, saying he had only purchased the item for mere decoration. He also denied involvement in drug activities, blaming his immigration status on his inability to raise money to file necessary documentation. 

“I am not a drug dealer, 1 am not a bad person. I could not find work, and when I did, I was not paid. Because I was undocumented, I could not file complaints. There was an amnesty, and I was trying to raise money for it,” Mr Okoro said. 

Meanwhile, Mr Adelasa claimed that the grinder found in the residence belonged to his deceased roommate. 

“The grinder belonged to my deceased

roommate. His family never came to collect his belongings,” he told the court.

After considering evidence presented by the prosecutors and arguments made by the defendants, Judge Şevket Gazi granted the request for police to detain them for extra six days.

Recall that on Saturday the Gazette reported that a Nigerian student based in Cyprus, Obasi Chimezirm Princewill, was sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment after being found guilty of sexually assaulting an unnamed victim at her dormitory and videotaping the act.