At last, the court will determine the fate of the detained blogger, Chukwuma Ofoegbu, popularly known as Ijele, today, April 3.
The court had fixed the date for hearing of the applicant’s bail application which was stalled at the last adjourned date due to the absence of His lordship Emmanuel Iyana of Chief Magistrate Court sitting at Wuse zone 6, Abuja.
Mr. Ofoegbu has been in police custody since March 19 and was ordered by the Court to be detained at the Keffi Correctional Centre in Nasarawa state.
The court had granted the police’s application to remand him from March 21 for two weeks to conclude investigations for his arraignment.
The applicant’s lawyer, Marvin Omorogbe, had filed a motion seeking to set aside the remand order or alternatively secure bail for his client pending the conclusion of investigations.
However, at the last adjourned date, the magistrate’s absence stalled the scheduled hearing.
Subsequently, the court fixed April 3, when Ijele will finally know whether he will be granted bail or remain in custody.
The police had told the magistrate court that it had filed charges against Ijele at the Federal High Court in Abuja concerning alleged cybercrime and was waiting for the case to be assigned to a particular court, adding that releasing Ijele would jeopardize the prosecution.
The applicant’s counsel Marvin Omorogbe, is requesting the court to set aside the reminder order made on 21 of March against Chukwuma Ofoegbu.
In the alternative, the lawyer has requested the court to admit his client to bail pending the conclusion of the respondent’s investigation.
