Court  grants  Igboho’s 12 detained associates bail, overrules DSS

All the 12 persons arrested by the Department of State Services, DSS, at the residence of Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho have been granted bail.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, admitted the Applicants to bail after he overruled the DSS, which opposed the release of four out of the 12 persons that have been on detention since July 1.

The DSS had claimed that its investigations revealed that the four detained associates of Igboho – Amudat Habitat Babatunde, Abideen Shittu, Jamiu Noah Oyetunji and Bamidele Sunday –  were deeply involved in the stock piling of arms.

It however did not oppose the release of eight others – Abdulateef Ademola Onaolapo, Tajudeen Irinyole, Diekola Jubril Ademola, Ayobami Donald and Uthman Opeyemi Adelabu – it claimed had minimal involvement in Igboho’s alleged criminal activities.

In his ruling, Justice Egwuatu held that the Constitution empowered the court to exercise its discretionary powers to grant the Applicants bail.

Consequently, while it granted bail to the eight Applicants the DSS did not oppose their application, in the sum of N5million with two sureties each, the court, gave the other four Applicants bail in the sum of N10m with two sureties each.

The court held that the sureties must be resident in Abuja, adding that one of them must be a civil servant not below grade level 12.

It held that the civil servant must submit a letter of employment and last promotion letter, as well as tender a passport photograph.

All the sureties were directed to submit an evidence of payment of tax for the past three years and also depose to an affidavit of means.

While the court equally declined an application for all the Applicants to be transferred to a Correctional Center, pending the perfection of their bail conditions, it directed the four Applicants whose bail request was opposed, to report to the office of the DSS every first Monday of the month, for three months, commencing from September 1.