A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt presided over by Justice G. O. Ollor, has granted bail to three ex-soldiers and seven civilians facing trial over alleged armed robbery, burglary, and receipt of stolen property.
The Nigeria Police Force had arraigned the 12 suspects on the aforementioned charges, although only 10 filed bail applications at the hearing on Wednesday, October 2, 2024.
During the resumed trial on Wednesday, the prosecuting counsel, F. D. Sokari, representing the Inspector-General of Police, informed the court that their first witness, Emmanuel Nwogu, was again unavailable to appear in court for cross-examination, citing health challenges, and asked for an adjournment.
Reacting, the defending counsel for the first defendant, Isaac West, Monday Stephen-Akpekon, moved a motion that the pending bail application be heard in the absence of the prosecution’s first witness.
The motion was supported by the defense counsel of the other 11 defendants, and the prosecution counsel did not oppose it.
Having listened to the bail applications presented by the 10 defendants, the Presiding Judge, Justice G. O. Ollor, granted a N1 million bail to each defendant in accordance with the law.
The judge ordered that each defendant should provide a surety alongside the bail sum and that:
“The sureties of each applicant shall be a traditional ruler of the applicant’s native community or place of residence in Rivers State, who shall produce evidence of being a traditional ruler to the assistant chief registrar of the court,” amongst other conditions.
Speaking to our correspondent outside the courtroom, the defense counsel, Stephen-Akpekon, expressed gratitude to the judge for granting the bail application, noting that they would perfect the bail for his clients to be released. He stated:
“In the last adjourned date, we adjourned for bail consideration. Fortunately, today, bail was considered. However, the prosecution did not produce their witness.
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“Last time, they equally did not produce the same witness on the grounds that he was sick. One month later, they did not produce him. So, we applied that the court should discount that issue and take our bail application.
“Bail was taken and granted on the condition that a bail sum of N1 million and the surety should be the traditional ruler from Rivers State or from the residing area of the defendant. We are grateful to the judge who looked carefully at the process and said the defendants merited this bail application and it was granted.
“We will perfect the bail, we will bring in surety, my person, West, we will surety him and up all the conditions. Then, he will be released. If he meets up these conditions.”
Efforts to get the reaction of the prosecution counsel were unsuccessful as he declined to speak to our correspondent.
