Seven persons accused of disrupting the empowerment programme organized by the Senator representing Kogi Central, Ahmed Ogembe last Saturday were on Friday arraigned at a senior Magistrate court sitting in Lokoja, the Kogi state capital.
Those accused are Moshood Shuaibu Onimisi, Abdullazeez Yusuf, Otaru Musa Onipe, Innocent, Iliyasu Momoh and Jimoh Raji and one other still at large.
They were alleged to have conspired to distrupt senator Ogembe’s women empowerment programme and inflicted bodily harms on those present at the venue.
The Court, however, granted bail to the accused persons.
The Senior Magistrate, Ojoma Racheal Haruna, while granting bail to the accused persons with the sum of N20,000 and a surety each in like sum, stressed that the surety must present 2 passport and the defendants must present 2 passport photographs while they must sign bond to be of good behaviour.
The prosecutor, Sgt Oladipupo Abimola told the court that the accused persons were dragged before the court for allegedly committing criminal conspiracy and mischief contrary to section 97(2) of the penal code.
All the accused, however, denied the allegations.
The Counsels to the accused persons, M. A Abbas and M.J Samuel made application for bail which was objected to by the prosecutor.
The court in its ruling held that the right to personal liberty as encapsulated under prohibition of section 35(1)) of 1999 constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) was sacred and could be only be denied where genuine circumstances exist.
“It is held that no genuine circumstance has been disclosed by prosecution which justifies a denial of the right to bail. Thus in pursuant to section 156 of Kogi State Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2017, the court admitted the defendants to bail.”
The Magistrate adjourned the case till 28th March, 2018 and ordered the immediate transfer of the case file to senior Magistrate Court in Okene where the offences were allegedly committed.
