The Nation Newspaper

Tag: self-recognition

  • Court grants Sule Lamido bail on self-recognition

    Court grants Sule Lamido bail on self-recognition

    Magistrate court 2 sitting in Dutse on Thursday granted bail to the former Jigawa state governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido on self-recognition.

    The former governor is standing trial on four count charges that bothers inciting disturbance, criminal deformation, criminal intimidation and disturbance of public peace which is contrary to sections 113, 114, 394 and 397 of the final code of Jigawa state.

    Lamido was granted unconditional bail on self-recognition as former governor who was democratically elected.

    In his ruling the presiding judge, magistrate, Usman Muhammed Lamin said all allegations against the accused person are ordinary bailable under section 341 of Criminal Procedure Code (CPC).

    Lamin in his ruling also rejected a submission by the prosecution counsel objecting the bail application by the defending counsel.

    According to him; “the prosecution fail to convince the court to denied the accuse person bail on their claim that the accuse release may course break of peace in the state.”

    “Based on the provisions of the law, power and right of this honourable court the accused person is granted bail on self-recognition,” said the magistrate.

    He added; ” I hereby adjoining the case to 5th July 2017 for hearing.”

  • Court grants bail to ex-Rep Duru on self-recognition

    Court grants bail to ex-Rep Duru on self-recognition

    A Federal Capital Territory High Court yesterday granted bail to Mr Chidi Duru, a former member, House of Representatives on self-recognition.
    Duru is standing trial on a four-count charge bothering on fraud, falsification of documents and money laundering to the tune of N16.1mllion, brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
    Justice Peter Affen granted the defendant bail after he pleaded not guilty to the allegations and the bail application brought by his lawyer, Mr Abdul Mohammed.
    He granted the defendant bail on self-recognition and ordered that he deposit his international passport and travel documents with the registrar of the court.
    The judge adjourned the case till February 27 for hearing of the preliminary objection filed by the defence.
    Earlier, the prosecuting counsel, Mr Sylvanus Tahir, told the court that Duru, as the Vice Chairman of First Guarantee Pension Ltd (FGPL), was entrusted with N15 million sometime in July.
    Tahir said that the defendant converted the amount, which represents 30 per cent equity shares of the company and sold them to Novare Holdings Proprietary Ltd, to his own use.
    He urged the court to remand the defendant in prison pending the determination of the matter.
    He also asked for a trial date to enable him to bring witnesses and open his case.
    The defence counsel, Mr Abdul Mohammed, told the court that he has filed a motion for preliminary objection duly served on the prosecution in February and applied for bail of his client.

  • Dasuki: I’m not guilty

    Dasuki: I’m not guilty

    •Trial opens October 26

    Former National Security Adviser (NSA), Mohammed Sambo Dasuki was arraigned yesterday before a Federal High Court in Abuja by the Federal Government.

    Dasuki was arraigned on a one-count charge bordering on illegal possession of fire arms, an offence punishable under section 27(i) (a)(i) of the Firearms Act Cap F28 LFN 2004 and which attracts 14 years jail term.

    He pleaded not guilty to the charge, following which the trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola granted him bail on self recognisance, upon an application by his lawyer, Joseph Daudu (SAN).

    Daudu said his client will neither abscond nor interfere with prosecution witnesses if granted bail, because the prosecution has said investigation has been concluded in the case.

    The prosecution lawyer, Mohammed Diri did not oppose the application for bail, but left the issue at the court’s discretion.

    Justice Ademola ordered Dasuki to deposit all his international passports with the court’s Deputy Registrar, Litigation. He ordered that the passports should be retrieved, if they are currently being held by other government agencies, and handed to the named court’s official.

    The judge fixed October 26 for the commencement of trial.

    Dressed in sky-blue kaftan and a cap, Dasuki arrived the court around 8.30am before even his lawyers and the prosecution team arrived the court. At the commencement of proceedings around 9.30am, Dasuki walked straight into the dock when the charge was called.

    Dasuki, who the judge permitted to sit in the dock, maintained a straight face throughout the proceedings that lasted about one hour.

    The prosecution said it intends to tender 10 sets of items recovered from Dasuki’s Abuja residence, located at John Khadiya Street, Asokoro by operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS), who searched his houses both in Abuja and outside on July 16.

    The items include

    *Five Tavor riffles

    *20 magazines,

    *Five rifle slings

    *Five packets of rifle servicing kit,

    *One packet of MOD AP9 calibre 9mm Luger No: 033373

    *Small magazine containing 16 rounds of 9mm ammunition and bigger magazine containing 23 *Five rounds of 9mm ammunition.

    *One Macro Uzi with serial No 60244.

    *One magazine with 16 rounds of live 9mm ammunition

    *36 rounds of live 9mm ammunition.

    Some of the items were said to have been recovered from his Range Rover car with number plate Abuja RBC 517 JN.

  • Abuja court grants Lamido bail on self-recognition

    Abuja court grants Lamido bail on self-recognition

    •Sons, aide admitted to N25m bail with two sureties

    After about three days in prison custody, former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, his two sons – Aminu and Mustapha – and one of their aides, Aminu Wada Abubakar, were granted bail yesterday by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

    In a ruling on their bail applications, Justice Gabriel Kolawole granted bail to Lamido on self recognition in view of his status as an ex-governor.

    The judge admitted Aminu, Muspaha and Abubakar to bail, but at N25 million and two sureties each.

    Justice Kolawole said one of the sureties must be a Level 16 civil servant in either a federal or state establishment. The other, the judge said, must be an entrepreneur, who must own a property worth N75 million located in Abuja, Kano or Jigawa.

    He ordered the accused persons to deposit their travel documents with the court, which they could retrieve whenever they wish to travel.

    The judge said the decision to have their travel documents, currently with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), retrieved and deposited in court was not to deny the accused their right of movement, but for the court to be aware of their movements.

    Justice Kolawole said the accused ought not to have been denied bail because some of their supporters were milling round the court. He said that was an issue for the police to handle.

    The judge said he would return the case file to the court’s Chief Judge, for onward transfer to the Kano division of the court, from where the case was brought to him.

    Lamido, his two sons and Abubakar were arraigned on July 9 before Justice Evelyn Anyadike of the Kano division of the Federal High Court on a 28-count bordering on corruption, abuse of office and money laundering, to which they pleaded not guilty.

    Justice Ayandike declined to take their bail application in view of the court’s approaching vacation and adjourned to September 28 for trial and directed that they be remanded in prison till then.

    The judge also said they could approach the court’s headquarters in Abuja where a vacation judge was sitting.

    Justice Kolawole, who is the sitting vacation judge in Abuja, granted them bail yesterday.

    Dressed in white traditional attire, Lamido, who appeared emaciated, maintained a pensive look, while proceedings lasted yesterday.

    Aminu and Mustapha, who stood with their father and Abubakar in the dock, smiled throughout the proceedings that lasted hours. They looked unruffled.

    Lamido was accused of using his position as the governor of Jigawa State, between 2007 and 2015, to award contracts to companies in which he and the two sons had interest. The money involved, the EFCC said, was N1.351 billion.

    Some of the companies include Bamaina Holdings Limited, Bamiana Company Nigeria Limited, Bamaina Aluminum Limited and Speeds International Limited.