Court Rejects Fubara Loyalists’ Bail Application

By Stephen Asaba-ase

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed bail request of the five Port Harcourt-based allegedly loyalists of the Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State.

Congress gathered that the bail applications, filed and argued by Lukman Fagbemi, was rejected and dismissed for lack of merit.

The presiding Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court Abuja denied bail to five Port Harcourt-based men on Tuesday.

It was learned that the suspects were charged with terrorism offences by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. The suspect were accused of burning the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex, amongst other offences, last year.

Justice Olajuwon refused them bail on the ground that they did not provide special circumstances to warrant their respective release from remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre Abuja.

While giving ruling on the bail applications, Justice Olajuwon said the defendants, especially Chime Ezebalike and Prince Oladele, failed to give cogent and verifiable evidence to back up their request for bail.

The judge further said that the defendants are charged with terrorism offences which are not ordinarily bailable.

The five defendants charged with terrorism are Chime Eguma Ezebalike, Prince Lukman Oladele, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Osiga Donald and Ochueja Thankgod.