By Deborah Onyofufeke, Abuja.
The Federal High Court Abuja on Monday refused to grant the bail requests of five loyalists of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State charged with terrorism offences by the Inspector General of Police.
The five defendants charged with terrorism are Chime Eguma Ezebalike, Prince Lukman Oladele, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Osiga Donald, and Ochueja Thankgod.
The bail applications filed and argued by Lukman Fagbemi were rejected and dismissed for lack of merit by Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon.
The court held that they did not provide special circumstances to warrant their respective release from remand at the Kuje Prison in Abuja.
Justice Olajuwon said the defendants, especially Chime Eguma Ezebalike and Prince Lukman Oladele, failed to give cogent and verifiable evidence to back up their request for bail.
The Judge held that in their affidavits in support of a request for bail deposed to by one Mariam Alawiye, an office assistant, she claimed to have obtained information and exhibits on the defendants from some persons but refused to share the identities of the persons with the court.
The court held that the deponent did not make any documents or exhibits available to the court to support all her assertions in the affidavit evidence.
Justice Olajuwon explained that affidavit evidence must supply names of those who volunteered information about defendants in a criminal charge as stipulated by Section 115 of the Evidence Act.
The court held that rather than containing facts as required by law, the affidavit contained extraneous issues that were not relevant to persuade any court to grant bail.
The Court rejected the deponent that the defendants would not jump bail, commit any other offence, or interfere with witness and investigation adding that claims were vague and hearsay because the deponent did not establish or produce any evidence.
The Judge also held that the defendants are charged with terrorism offences that are not ordinarily bailable.
In the application of Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Justice Olajuwon said that the claim of his 10 years of chronic hypertension and high blood pressure was not supported by any medical documents.
The Judge held that the counterclaim by the IGP that the sickness can be managed by medical personnel of the prison was not disputed.
While dismissing the bail request, Justice Olajuwon ordered them to remain in Kuje Prison from where they would be coming for their trial.
The Judge subsequently granted an accelerated hearing and fixed February 8 for the opening of the trial by the Inspector General of Police IGP.
Recall that on January 25, IGP had slammed terrorism charges on the five Port Harcourt-based men who allegedly invaded, vandalized, and burnt down Rivers State House of Assembly last year.
They were alleged to have committed the alleged terrorism offences during the wake of the political upheaval that rocked Port Harcourt in October last year.
In the charges against them marked FHC/ABJ/CR/25/2024, police alleged that apart from burning down the State House of Assembly, some of them were said to have killed a Superintendent of Police, (SP) Bako Agbashim and five police informants at Ahoada community of the state.
The police informants said to have been killed by the defendants are Charles Osu, Ogbonna Eja, Idaowuka Felix, Paul Victor Chibuogu, and Saturday Edi.
They were also accused of using various cult groups, namely- Supreme Viking Confraternity, Degbam, Iceland, and Greenland to unleash mayhem on the people of the state and their commercial activities.
