Court grants N50m bail to Oyo lawmaker arrested over rep’s murder

An Ibadan high court has granted bail to Olafisoye Akinmoyede, chief whip of Oyo state house of assembly.

Akinmoyede was arrested by the police over the death of Temitopt Olatoye better known as “Sugar”, a member of the house of representatives, who was shot dead during the March 9 election.

At the hearing on Thursday, Mashud Abass, the judge, granted Akinmoyede a N50 million bail with two sureties in like sum.

The judge said one of the sureties must be a civil servant who must not be lower than grade level 14 or a member of the state house of assembly or national assembly.

He also said the second surety must be a blood relation with landed property worth N50 million.

The judge said the police had not provided any justification that would warrant the court not to grant bail to the applicant. He described the action of the police as “arrogant, unlawful and unconstitutional”.

“The practice of the police making arrests before an investigation is not proper,” he said.

“The power of the police to arrest and detain is not in doubt but the constitution stipulates that any person detained must be arraigned within 24 hours.

“The remand order obtained by the police from an Iyaganku Magistrates’ court expired on April 4 and detaining the applicant beyond this period is fragrant disobedient to the constitution.

“Obedience to court order should be the responsibility of all who believe in the stability of Nigeria.”

Akinmoyede, through Micheal Lana, his counsel, had filed enforcement of fundamental human rights suit against the police for detaining him since March 11, without charging him to court.

The counsel had urged the court to declare the continued detention of his client in police custody as unlawful and a violation of his fundamental human right, while asking the court to grant bail to the defendant pending his arraignment at the court of law.