Benue court remands lawmaker, ex-LG bosses, Suswam aides in prison

Others remanded are former council chairmen of Ukum and Ado local government areas of the state respectively, Mr David Sev-Av and Alex Ogaba, while Mr Terfa Bosua and Andrew Ayande were aides to erstwhile governor of the state, Dr Gabriel Suswam. The five persons were part of the 52 indicted by the Justice Elizabeth Kpojime Commission of Inquiry set up by governor Ortom administration to probe the activities of eight years activities of past administration. The accused persons were standing trial on corruption charges bordering on money laundering. Justice Joseph Aneke who gave the order while ruling on a bail application brought before him today by counsel to the accused, Mr. Andrew Wombo, prayed the court to grant his clients bail using its discretion. Justice Aneke faulted the bail application and asked the defense counsel to go back and look at it carefully in order not to jeopardize the integrity of the court. Earlier, prosecution counsel, Kehinde Fagbemi, told the court that the accused persons were standing trial on corruption charges bordering on money laundering. When the defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges brought against them, the prosecution counsel applied for a date to open her case against the defendants, even as she prayed the court to remand them in prison custody pending a date to be fixed for continuation of the matter. While arguing on a bail application brought by the defense counsel, the prosecution counsel asked the court to use its discretion in considering the application. Counsel to the defendants, Andrew Wombo, who did not object to the application by prosecution counsel seeking for a date to open her case against the defendants, however objected to the prayer to remand them in prison custody, noting that they had been on administrative bail since 2016 but had not jumped bail conditions. He said the accused persons had sworn through various affidavits that they would not breach the bail conditions. ]]>