Breaking: Court Grants Bail to Igboho’s 12 Detained Associates

NIGERIA: A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted bail to the 12 associates of Chief Sunday Adeyemo popularly known as Sunday Igboho.

Delivering the ruling on the application filed by the 12 applicants before the court, the presiding Judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, said it is clear that no charge has been brought against Sunday Igboho’s aides since their arrest.

As such, the court held that detaining them without charging them contravenes the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and their fundamental rights.

Eight of the applicants, the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th applicants, were granted bail in the sum of N5million each with surety in like sum resident in Abuja.

The remaining four applicants, the 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 12th applicants, were granted bail in the sum of N10 million each with surety in like sum also resident in Abuja.

The aides were arrested when DSS officials raided Igboho’s home on July 1, but a lawyer to the apprehended aides, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has sued on grounds that their fundamental human rights were being infringed on.

The DSS earlier on Monday, August 2 presented eight instead of the 12 arrested aides. The DSS told the court that it believes that the four Applicants would escape from the country like Igboho, once released from detention and would not make themselves available for further investigation or trial.

The court then ordered the security agency to produce all the 12 aides.

In obedience to the court order, the DSS on Wednesday produced all 12 detained aides before the Federal High Court in Abuja.