A Kubwa Magistrates’ Court in Abuja, on Thursday remanded four men in police custody for allegedly inflicting injuries on two policemen while performing their duty.
Magistrate, Oyepeju Mustapha adjourned the matter until March 20 for ruling in their bail application.
The defendants, Gabriel Ezekiel, Jude Danlami, Daniel Effiong and Jacob Yohana were charged with criminal conspiracy, causing grievous hurt, theft and obstructing a police officer while performing lawful duty.
Earlier, the prosecuting counsel, John Okpa told the court that the complainant, Joshua Matthew reported the matter at the Byazhin Police Station on March 6.
Okpa alleged that the defendants and their accomplices broke into the complainant’s house and stole a smart TV and N100,000 cash.
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While the police were effecting arrest, he said, the defendants attacked the policemen with cutlasses , sticks and stones.
He said that police inspectors, Wabi Elisha and Ujah Sunday sustained serious injuries as a result and are currently receiving treatment at the National Hospital.
Okpa alleged that one of the policemen’s IPhones worth N550,000 was stolen.
The offence, he said, contravened the provisions of sections 97,247,287 and 171 of the Penal Code.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty.
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The defence counsel , Linda Asekhauno made a bail application for Ezekiel, Danlami and Effiong and refered the court to section 36(5) of the 1999 constitution which says that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Emmanuel Oti, cousel to Yohana also made a bail application for his client citing sections 158,162 and 165 of The Administration of Criminal Justice Act(ACJA) 2015 and prayed for the court to grant it on liberal terms.
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Okpa opposed the bail and prayed the court to remand the defendants as investigations were still ongoing to help track the others at large.
Asekhauno, in response said that the essence of bail was to ensure the liberty of the defendants to attend their trial.
” There is no medical record before the court to show that the police officers are in the hospital receiving treatment. If the police were not done with investigations, the defendants should not have been brought before the court, ” she said.
