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| Charles Okah |
Okah who was initially
standing trial alongside Obi Nwabueze, Edmund Ebuware and Tiemkemfa
Francis, (but Francis died on 2 March in prison custody,) for the second time running, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on
Wednesday declined a fresh application for bail brought before it by
suspected Independence Day twin bomb blast masterminds, Charles Okah and
two others.
The court also stayed proceedings in the matter to allow the Court of
Appeal reach a decision on an application filed by Okah and Nwabueze
challenging the jurisdiction of the court.
At recent
proceedings, counsel to Okah and Nwabueze, Mr. Oghenovo Otemu orally
applied for bail of his clients after he informed the court that the
inhuman conditions the accused persons are subjected to in Kuje prisons
has resulted to their ill-health.
He told the court that the
accused persons are still being locked up in their cells for 24 hours
and are not allowed to exercise or go to worship centres.
He prayed to the court to grant the accused persons bail on liberal terms so as to enable them attend to their health issues.
Opposing
the application, prosecuting counsel Alex Iziyon, a senior advocate of
Nigeria, asked the court to be hesitant in exercising its discretion in
granting the application.
He said statements made by Mr. Otemu
regarding the accused persons’ living conditions in prison, is
malicious, unverified and highly speculative.
He further argued
that no material has been placed before the court to support the
allegations that the SSS instructed prison officials to torture the
accused persons.
Denying the application for bail, Justice Gabriel
Kolawole said he had already refused a written application for bail, as
such they cannot come back orally.
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