COVID-19: Kaduna court grants two Islamic clerics, 8 others N1m bail

A Kaduna Chief Magistrate Court has granted bail in the sum of N1 million each to the clerics and their followers for allegedly violating the ongoing curfew in the state when they conducted congregational prayers on Friday.

The defendants who are ten in number were accused of criminal conspiracy and disobedience to public orders.

They all pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them.

According to the prosecution counsel, Barrister Dari Bayero, the defendants’ alleged violation of the law has the potency of spreading the coronavirus in Kaduna State.

Nigerian Tribune recalls that Kaduna State government said that it arrested two clerics for conducting Friday congregational prayers in two communities of Kaduna North local government area in violation of the curfew imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The names of the alleged culprits were given as Malam Aminu Umar Usman and Malam Umar Shangel from Malali and Unguwan Kanawa respectively.

On Monday, the two clerics and some of the members of their congregation from Unguwan Kanawa were arraigned in Magistrate Court 1 while those from Malali were separately arraigned in Court 16.

Though all the defendants were granted bail, the court ruled that the must produce sureties who must be senior government officials with proof of landed property in Kaduna State, failure of which they will be remanded at the correctional centre.

The two cases have been adjourned to April 22 and April 29 respectively.