Udoedehe granted bail, re-arrested
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- Category: Politics
- Published on Friday, 01 April 2011 08:43
- Written by Admin
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A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday granted the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom State, John James Akpan Udoedehe bail.
But he was immediately re-arrested after he met the bail condition by the police, right in the premises of the court and was whisked away in the police pick up van with registration number NPF 3035 C to the Force Headquarters.
Although the reason for his arrest was not known officially, it was gathered that the police had already filed another charge bordering on murder and arson.
He will soon be arraigned over the new charges.
There was a drama in the court when the police tried to re-arrest him. In the process of struggling to re-arrest him, the ACN governorship candidate alleged that the police slapped him.
The Federal Government had, last Friday, charged Udoedehe with treason over the political crisis in the state where four persons were killed and vehicles worth N2 billion destroyed.
Before he was granted bail, one of his counsel, Kola Awodein (SAN), who led four other senior advocates, urged the court to grant the accused bail.
The trial judge, Justice Adamu Bello, in his ruling on the bail application, admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N10 million with one surety in like sum, adding that such person must be a responsible citizen who resides within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Justice Bello said that any breach of the bail condition would bring about a revocation, stating that the accused should be remanded in prison custody if the bail condition is not met. In granting the bail application, the court held that the prosecution did not contest certain averment contained in the accused’s affidavit, saying: “The averment in paragraphs 11,12,13 and 14 are directly connected with the charge of treason so, I expect the prosecution to react by producing evidence that linked the accused person but nothing in their counter-affidavit showed this.
“It is not enough to parade treason without enough evidence to prove. The case was adjourned to May 10, 2011.
The court room was later thrown into a rowdy session not too long the judge rose as the police made an attempt to re-arrest the accused person but it was resisted by his teeming supporters who demanded on which ground he was to be re-arrested.
It was in the midst of this exchange of words that a police man in mufti slapped the accused person, an act which later caused an uproar which lasted for almost one hour.
It took the intervention of one of the accused counsel, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN) to persuade the crowd to allow the police to take Udoedede, adding that his bail condition had been perfected and that another application has been filed at the Abuja High Court, seeking for an order to stop the police from re-arresting him.
Akintola further stated that the court order would immediately be served on the police so as to release his client to go about his campaign.
The charge reads:
•That you John James Akpanudoedeh ‘M’ and others now at large, as citizens of Nigeria on the 22nd day of March, 2011 at Ikot Ekpene in Akwa-Ibom State in the Abuja Judicial Division did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit: Treason by levying war against the state with intent to cause such levying war as would intimidate or overawe the governor of the state and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 37(2) of Criminal Code Act Cap‘C’ 38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
•That you John James Akpanodoedeh ‘M’ and others now at large as citizens of Nigeria on the 22nd day of March, 2011 at Ikot Ekpene in Akwa –Ibom State in the Abuja Judicial Division did levy war against the state in order to intimidate or overawe the governor of the state by discharging several gun shots at him and his entourage while on his official assignment, and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 37(1) of the Criminal Code Act Cap ‘C’ 38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
•That you John James Akpanodoedeh ‘M’ and others now at large, as citizens of Nigeria on 22nd day of March, 2011, at Uyo in Akwa- Ibom State in the Abuja Judicial Division did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit: Treason by levying war against the state with intent to cause such levying of war as would intimidateor overawe the Governor of the State and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 37(2) of the criminal code act cap ‘C’ 38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
•That you John James Akpanudoedeh ‘M’ and others now at large as citizens of Nigeria on the 22nd day of March, 2011, at Uyo in Akwa Ibom in the Abuja Judicial Division did levy war against the state in order to intimidate or overawe the governor of the state by discharging several gun shots at him and his entourage while on his official assignment, and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 37(1) of the Criminal Code Act Cap ‘C’ 38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. (Nigerian Compass)
