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Court Hears Bail Application By Igboho’s Aides

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja is hearing the bail application by the 12 aides of Sunday Adeyemo also known as Sunday Igboho.


A court gavel
Logo of a court gavel

 

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja is hearing the bail application by the 12 aides of Sunday Adeyemo also known as Sunday Igboho.

Igboho’s aides have been in the custody of the Department of the State Service since July 1, 2021.

On Monday, 2nd August, the Service only produced eight of Igboho’s aides at the court, an action the presiding Judge, Obiora Egwuata frowned at.

At the resumed trial on Wednesday, the application for the court to grant bail to all the 12 applicants came up.

However, Counsel to the respondent (DSS), David Awo opposed the bail application to four of the applicants, citing the high level of their involvement in the matter as a reason.

Mr Awo said the DSS was not in opposition to the application for bail to be granted to the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th applicants because so far investigation conducted by the respondent reveals that the level of their involvement in the offence of arms stockpiling and other criminal activities are minimal.

He said the DSS however opposed the bail of the other 4 applicants (2nd, 12th, 6th and 5th) because investigation so dar on them has revealed a high level of complicity on their part.

Awo argued that granting bail to the four applicants would not be in the interest of justice and national security.

He noted that the DSS is afraid that if granted bail, the four isolated applicants would not make themselves available for further investigation and possible prosecution.

According to Mr David, although it was at the discretion of the court to grant bail to the applicants, there are various reasons that the court could consider and refuse them bail, one of which is the nature of the offence they are accused of as contained in Paragraph 5 of the affidavit submitted by the DSS.

He said on 1st July 2021 when a joint raid involving the DSS, the military and other security agencies was carried out on the residence of Sunday Igboho, seven Ak-47 rifles, three pump rifles, 1,295 live rounds of ammunition, knives, and other weapons were found.

But, Counsel to the applicants, Olajengbesi argued that detaining the applicants in the facility of the DSS for further days would amount to a breach of the constitution and their fundamental human rights.

While citing Section 35 sub-section 4 of the 1999 Constitution, Olajengbesi said that investigation cannot be indefinite and that has applied to the court for an order to detain the applicants for fourteen days for investigation and failed to conclude its investigation as at 2nd of August when the order expired, the DSS had shown that it had no reason for detaining the applicants.

Those the DSS is not opposing to their bail are Abdullateef Ademola Onaolapo, Tajudeen Irinloye, Diekola Jubril Ademola, Ayobami Donald, Uthman Opeyemi Adelabu, Olakunle, Oluwapelumi, Raji Kazeem, and Taiwo Opeyemi Tajudeen.

The Service is however opposing the bail application of Amudat Habibat Babatunde, Abideen Shittu, Jamiu Noah Oyetunji, and Bamidele Sunday.

As of the time of filing the report, the court went on a break for the ruling.