Suspects in assassination attempt on Melaye get bail

The Kogi State High Court yesterday admitted to bail five accused persons, including the embattled Administrator of Ijumu Local Council, Alhaji Taufiq Isah, arraigned over an alleged assassination attempt on Senator Dino Melaye.

The sitting judge, Justice Arome Akogwu and resident High Court Judge, Kabba, sitting in Lokoja, while granting the bail held that the three weeks the accused spent in custody were above the limit recognised by the constitution.

Akogwu said the accused thought their counsel, A.M. Aliyu (SAN) in his oral application for bail, had undertaken to attend their trial, adding that the prosecuting counsel did not object to the presumption of innocence pleaded by Aliyu.
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The judge, therefore, expressed satisfaction with the submission of the defence and granted bail to each of the accused in the sum of N1 million with a surety who must be a senior civil servant in the state in like sum.

The lead prosecuting counsel, Lough Simon, an assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), had arraigned the council boss alongside Ade Obege, Abdullahi Isah, Michael Bamidele and Ahmed Ajayi on a five-count charge of conspiracy to commit culpable homicide punishable with death on April 14.

He averred that Isah committed the offence of abetment contrary to Section 83 and punishable under Section 91 of the Penal Code.