Olisa Metuh regains freedom

Olisa Metuh, spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has left Kuje prison, Abuja, after perfecting the conditions of bail handed down by two separate high courts.

The development was confirmed by Deji Adeyanju, PDP’s director of new media.

‎”We are on our way to the house now. We met the bail conditions about 20 minutes ago, and we are just leaving the federal high court,” Adeyanju said.

Metuh, until Thursday, had been in custody since January 5.

‎Okon Abang, justice of the federal high court, Maitama, Abuja, had granted him bail in the sum of N400m, and with two sureties with landed property at Maitama.

However, the PDP spokesman asked for a variation of the conditions of the bail.

On Wednesday, Abang ruled that he must perfect the conditions of bail for him to be released from prison.

Citing a ruling of the court granting him bail, Abang held: “The court cannot be expected to seat on appeal over its decision.”

He directed the accused person to go on appeal against the ruling of the court if he was dissatisfied with it.

However, the judge, while stating that the decision of the court to grant Metuh bail was not to keep him in custody, varied the condition requiring the accused person to have two sureties who must have landed property at Maitama, Abuja.

He held that the scope of ownership of property for the sureties was now expanded to include all parts of the federal capital territory.

In other words, the sureties must have landed property within Abuja, and not just at Maitama.

That was the only prayer in the application for variation of bail sought by Metuh that was granted.

Last week, Ishaq Bello, justice of the federal capital territory (FCT) high court, Abuja, had also granted Metuh bail in the sum of N300m with two sureties in like sum.

The PDP spokesman is facing a seven-count charge of money laundering at the federal high court, and‎ two-counts of destruction of document at the FCT high court.