A High Court sitting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, yesterday admitted the
Chief Whip of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Olafisoye Akinmoyede, to bail
in the sum of N50 million.
Akinmoyede, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in the
state, who represents Lagelu State Constituency is one of the five suspects
linked to the murder of a member of the House of Representatives, Honourable
Temitope Olatoye.
Olatoye, who until his death represented Akinyele/ Lagelu Federal
Constituency, was killed by some unknown gunmen on March 9, during the
gubernatorial and State House of Assembly elections at Lalupon area of
Ibadan.
Akinmoyede, through his counsel, Mr. Michael Lana filed an enforcement of
fundamental human rights suit against the police for detaining his client since
March 11, without charging him to court.
Lana urged the court to declare the continued detention of his client in police
custody in Abuja as unlawful and a violation of his (Akinmoyede) fundamental
human right.
He urged the court to grant bail to his client pending the arraignment of his
client at the court of law.
However, Justice Mashud Abass, while admitting Akinmoyede to bail on
Thursday, ordered him to produce two sureties in like sum one of who must be
a civil servant not below GL14 or member of the state House or National
Assembly.
Abass ordered that the second surety must be a blood relation with landed
property worth N50 million.
The judge, frowned at the action of the police, describing it as “arrogant,
unlawful and unconstitutional.”
He said, “The practice of the police making arrests before investigation is not
proper.
“The power of the police to arrest and detain is not in doubt but the
constitution stipulates that any person detained must be arraigned within 24
hours.
“The remand order obtained by the police from an Iyaganku Magistrates’ Court
expired on April 4 and detaining the applicant beyond this period is fragrant
disobedient to the constitution.
“Obedience to court order should be the responsibility of all who believe in the
stability of Nigeria.”
The judge said the police have not provided any justification that would
warrant the court not to grant bail to the applicant.
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