New Judge To Sign Igboho Aides’ Release Warrant Today

The Federal High Court, Abuja has said that it has a judge on ground to sign the release of Sunday Igboho’s associates granted bail recently by the court.

The Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court, Emmanuel Gakko, in a statement clarified that it was not that trial judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, who admitted the 12 defendants to bail early in August, has disappeared as reported by some media publications.

The 12 defendants were arrested in the July 1, early morning raid on the residence of the leader of the Yoruba Nation agitators in Ibadan, Oyo State and were detained at the facility of the Department of State Service (DSS).

However, following the granting of an application for the enforcement of their fundamental human rights, Justice Egwuatu had admitted eight of the defendants to bail in the sum of N5 million each with two sureties in like sum, while the remaining four were admitted to bail in the sum of N10 million each with two sureties in like sum.

The lawyer to the defendants, Pelumi Olajengbesi, claimed that after the perfection of their bail last week, they had gone to the court to endorse the bail but were told the judge had travelled out of the country.

Reacting, Gakko stated that contrary to the claim of the newspapers, Justice Egwuatu did not disappear but went on a national assignment outside the country.

He stated that although the court is on vacation but there are judges on ground, adding that Justice Ahmed Mohammed, the other vacation judge with Egwuatu, is available, adding that the lawyer to the defendants would have met with the registrar of the court, who would have told him what to do.

He stressed that there was no reason why a judge, after granting bail to a defendant, would now disappear and not be available to endorse it.

He charged journalists to always approach the court and cross check their facts before publication.