A Kwara state high court has granted an interim bail to Yusuf Abdulwahab (pictured second right), chief of staff to Abdulfatah Ahmed, governor of the state.
Abdulwahab has been in police custody in Abuja since June 2, 2018 after he responded to police invitation over his alleged link with suspects who carried out robbery attacks on commercial banks in Offa on April 5, 2018.
M.O. Adewara, a judge, freed Abdulwahab after considering the oral application for bail made on behalf of the governor’s aide by his counsel, Adebayo Adelodun and the response of the counsel for the respondent, the inspector-general of police.
The chief of staff had initially filed a motion on notice before a federal high court in Abuja praying for an order granting him bail from police custody on the grounds that he had been detained for longer than 24 hours allowed by law, without charge.
But the presiding judge, Babatunde Quadri, rejected the application on the grounds that the subject matter of the case was outside the jurisdiction of his court.
He therefore, ordered the transfer of the case to the high court of Kwara for hearing and determination.
The case was, thereafter, assigned to Adewara, who issued a hearing notice to the respondent, and initially fixed hearing for Tuesday, July 17.
However, according to Adelodun, no one represented the IG or filed any process on the said date of the hearing.
He then moved the court to grant his client’s bail application. The court then adjourned the case till Tuesday, July 24, for ruling.
In his ruling, the judge granted the chief of staff bail in the sum of N10 million with two sureties each in like sum.
The judge also ruled that the sureties must be persons of means and should swear to an affidavit of means and deposit to the court, their respective certificates of occupancy of house or land located anywhere in Kwara.
He then adjourned the case till October 15, 2018.
