Justice E. S Chukwu of the Federal High
Court on Wednesday, June 12, 2013 granted bail to 14 accused persons who
are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,
on charges of conspiracy and oil bunkering.
The suspects who were arrested at Toto
Military checkpoint, Nasarawa State with 14 trailer load of suspected crude
oil are Joseph Amaechi, Israel Friday, Ubadia Francis, Abayomi Adebisi,
Abdullahi Idris, Samuel Job, Onah Peter Ode, Sabo Tasha Hassan, Abdullahi
Moh'd, Abubakar Abdulkadir, Ehiogu Paul, Ibrahim Saidu, Garba Mohammed
and Bartholomew Onyema. They were arrested after a failed attempt to bribe
their way through the check point.
While adjourning the case till June 13,
2013, for trial, Justice Chukwu granted bail to Joseph Amaechi who is the
prime suspect in the case in the sum of N30m and two sureties in like sum.
The sureties according to the ruling must have landed properties in the
Central Business District of Abuja. The other 13 accused persons were granted
bail in the sum of N5m each and one surety each in the like sum. The surety,
the judge said, must also have landed properties in the Central Business
District of Abuja.
It would be recalled that defence counsel,
Rotimi Ojo and Omar Musa while moving for bail application of the accused
persons at the last adjourned date, argued that bail is a constitutional
right of the accused though at the discretion of the court. Both counsel
argued that the accused persons have no previous record of capital offence
and will not jump bail as they are readily prepared to make themselves
available for prosecution if admitted to bail. The counsel therefore prayed
the court to grant the bail application in favour of the accused persons.
EFCC counsel, Elizabeth Ayodele while objecting
the bail application accused urged the court to note that the offence for
which the accused persons are currently being prosecuted borders on willful
and malicious breaking of oil pipelines which according to her, is an act
of economic sabotage.
The prosecution counsel also urged the
court to note that the punishment for the offences for the charges
against the accused persons is life imprisonment adding that the accused
persons if granted bail may not submit themselves for trial or rather interfere
with the witnesses. She therefore urged the court to exercise his discretion
judicially and judiciously by refusing the application for the bail of
the accused persons.
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