THE Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday ordered that the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, be remanded in Kuje Prison.

Metuh, who pleaded not guilty to the seven-count charge, bordering on breach of trust, diversion of public funds and money laundering filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the court, will remain in prison custody until Tuesday January 19, 2016 when the court will rule on his bail application.

Metuh had orally applied to the trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, through his counsel, Onyeachi Ikpeazu, (SAN) to admit him on bail on the ground that the offence he allegedly committed was bailable one.

Ikpeazu, while praying the court to grant his client bail cited section 162 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.

The prosecution counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, while objecting to the oral application for Metuh’s bail, told the court that, “the defence ought to have applied formally in writing for the bail of the defendant.”

Ikpeazu objected to the submission saying, “the trial is a summary one and the court can exercise its discretion to grant a bail based on an oral application.”