Nigerian authorities intercepted a ship and arrested its Russian crew on October 23 after they found several guns and around 8,500 rounds of ammunition aboard.
The Russian sailors have pleaded not guilty and the Moran Security Group, the Russian company that owns the confiscated vessel, has said the ship had permission to carry arms, calling the accusations "groundless".
Russia's Foreign Ministry also spoke out against the charges and said Nigeria had broken an earlier promise to release the sailors.
"I'm glad that everybody - the court, the prosecution - they saw the need that the accused persons be granted bail. They've been in detention for months," defence lawyer Chukwuwike Okafor said after the hearing.
He said that, under the terms of the $500,000 bail, the sailors were not allowed to leave Nigeria and were under the care of the Russian ambassador, who must ensure they return for the hearing in April.
Arms smuggling to and through Nigeria is rife. Demand for weapons is great because of an Islamist rebellion in the north, armed robbery and kidnapping by gangs in the south and oil theft and piracy in the southeast.
Just imagine these Russians were Nigerians arrested in Moscow for this crime, what do you think would be their fate?
Do you think the Nigerian embassy or government would have shown interest in pursuing a case as this, if a Nigerians were culprit?
Thank God for the security operatives who intercepted this Russian crew.
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