How Police Counsel Struggled In Court To Frustrate Sowore, Others’ Bail Application
The Nigeria police again on Tuesday showed desperation at the Magistrates’ Court sitting in Wuse, Abuja, in its bid to frustrate the bail application for human rights’ activist, Omoyele Sowore, and his four colleagues who were brought for their bail hearing.
The police prosecution team, led by Adama Musa, argued that it was inappropriate in law for an application for bail to be brought for more than one person.
Musa asked the presiding magistrate, Mabel Segun-Bello, to jot down what he was saying and she told him ‘no’.
The police prosecution went further to cite a case in 1975 and the magistrate replied that she had not been born by then.
Earlier, Abubakar Marshal from the Falana & Falana Chambers, who alongside four lawyers, represented Sowore and the others, had put forth a motion for bail application.
Adama objected by saying they were not ready because they had just been served.
Adama argued that they did not have enough time to study the document given to them on Tuesday morning.
The magistrate gave them two hours to study the application.
After that plot failed, the police prosecuting team filed another counter affidavit and served it to the activists’ team of lawyers.
Marshal stood up to bring to the knowledge of the court the motion he had brought before the court. His prayer was that the Magistrate should admit all defendants to bail.
The police team continued with the argument on whether an application was sufficient for several persons, and the magistrate asked Marshal to respond to it.
The defence counsel noted that there were several cases that could be cited to support such an application.
He cited cases where a joint charge required a joint bail application.
The Magistrates’ Court finally reserved its ruling on the bail application till Friday, January 8.
The presiding magistrate ordered that the activists should be moved from the Kuje Correctional Centre to the Force Criminal Investigation Department located at Area 10 in Abuja.
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