•Ex-Kaduna Governor Umar faults judge for denying them bail •Says judge was high-handed •Why ex-Jigawa governor was remanded in prison
THE Thursday order of the Federal High Court, Kano remanding the immediate past governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido and his two sons in the Kano central prison has turned the jailhouse into a tourist centre of sort.
Scores of politicians, friends, associates and relations of the governor have been thronging the prison to sympathise with Lamido and his sons –Aminu and Mustapha – since they were moved there.
The trio and one Wada Abubakar were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 28-count charge of money laundering, abuse of public trust and bribery by contractors amounting to N1.351 billion.
They pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Justice Evelyn Anyadike ordered that they be remanded in prison after counsel to EFCC, Chile Okoroma, said the agency’s facilities in Abuja and Kano “are overstretched.”
Our reporter sighted many of the visitors going in and out of the prison yesterday.
Some were seen outside the prisons walls discussing in hushed tones or waiting to be ushered in.
A man described as a close relative of the former governor was seen welcoming the visitors and facilitating their entry into the prison.
Some of them were overheard expressing shock at the fate that befell the man they called Jagoran Talakawa (champion of the poor).
One of the youths, Hamidu Mallam, who spoke to our reporter at the gate of the Kano Central Prison described Lamido’s detention as a move to humiliate him and rubbish his presidential ambition ahead of 2019.
Security has been tightened around the premises.
There was a mild drama at the court on Thursday when the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court, Mr Simon Akpah, asked the accused persons to move into a waiting white Toyota Hiace bus with registration number PS 548 AO1, belonging to the Nigeria Prisons Service for their transfer to the prison.
A stunned Lamido retorted: “You mean I am now a prisoner?”
“No sir, you are not a prisoner,” Akpah responded.
The case resumes on September 28.
Former Kaduna State Military Governor, Col. Abubakar Umar (rtd), yesterday faulted the decision of the Federal High Court in Kano to deny immediate past Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido and his two sons bail.
Justice Evelyn Anyadike had on Thursday ordered that the trio and one Wada Abubakar be remanded in prison after counsel to EFCC, Chile Okoroma, said the agency’s facilities in Abuja and Kano were overstretched.
They were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 28-count charge of money laundering, abuse of public trust and collecting from contractors bribe monies amounting to N1.351 billion.
But Umar yesterday faulted bail denial to the detainees, describing it as high-handed and pleading with the judge to reconsider her stance.
Umar, who made his views known in a statement in Abuja, said: “The offence for which Sule Lamido and his two sons were charged is clearly a bailable offence. This is why it appears strange that not only were they refused bail but they are remanded in prison custody for about three months.
“This means that both Sule and his sons have started serving a prison sentence even before the commencement of their trial.
“It behooves all men of good conscience to appeal to the trial Judge to reconsider this high-handed decision. The principle of the accused being adjudged innocent until proven guilty must apply in this case.
“We are also aware that persons with similar cases had been granted and are being granted bail. We appeal to the trial judge to temper justice with mercy by granting Governor Sule Lamido and his sons bail.”
Meanwhile, there were indications yesterday that the former governor and his two sons were remanded in prison custody because the matter was heard by “fiat.”
Justice Anyadike was drafted from another jurisdiction for the arraignment of the suspects, pending the appointment of a vacation judge to consider their application for bail.
She was said to have presided over the commencement of the trial of the suspects by “fiat” because some judges were on vacation.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday said the judge was explicit in declaring that a vacation judge will hear the suspects’ bail application.
The anti-graft agency said there was no order from the judge asking Lamido and sons to be remanded for two months without a bail option.
Investigation by our correspondent revealed that following difficulty in getting judges to hear the matter at the Federal High Court, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, was approached to assign a judge from any jurisdiction.
It was gathered that the lot fell on Justice Anyadike since most judges were on vacation.
A reliable source said: “The matter was heard by Justice Anyadike from another jurisdiction by fiat. So, she was deployed in Kano by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court.
“That means she acted on authority, but it is left to the suspects to make requisite bail application to a vacation judge to secure their freedom.
“The fact that they are high profile suspects does not mean that they cannot be remanded in prison.
“The EFCC was explicit that it had no facility to detain the suspects.”
A source in EFCC however said: “The judge did not give any order that Lamido and sons should be remanded in prison till September. She knows that they are entitled to bail and left the discretion to a vacation judge.”
