Abuja Court Grants Dino Melaye Indefinite Bail

An FCT High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja yesterday granted Senator Dino Melaye, Senator representing Kogi West, an indefinite bail, pending when he is fit to appear in court. The ruling was given by Justice Olasumbo Goodluck after having heard the prayers made by counsel to Melaye, Mr. Ricky Tarfa, SAN.

Also read: Get paid for simply completing online surveys.

In an affidavit filed by the defence, Tarfa urged court to accept the evidence brought before it supporting the claim that the defendant was under admission at the Intensive Care Unit of the National Hospital, Abuja. He tendered three exhibits before the court, and urged court to admit them in evidence. The exhibits tendered by Tarfa included a ruling of the High Court of Justice of Kogi State in respect of a case instituted by the Inspector General of Police versus one Kabiru Saidu a.k.a Osama, Nuhu Salihu a.k.a Small and Senator Dino Melaye, a medical report from the National Hospital, Abuja dated 27th April, 2018 and another medical report dated 9th of May, 2018.

The three exhibits were admitted in evidence and marked Exhibits A, B and C respectively. But prosecution counsel, Shaibu Labaran, objected to the evidence presented by Tarfa. He described the medical report obtained from the Intensive Care Unit of the National Hospital, Abuja as “purported”, and urged court to discountenance it.

“My lord, in respect to the affidavit filed by the defence, we have filed our counter-affidavit in compliance with the rules of this honourable court. We have attached a written address in support of our affidavit. “My lord, our contention is that the defendant in this case has jumped bail. When the case was called yesterday which was the adjourned date for the hearing of this case, the defendant and his counsel were fully aware of the next adjourned date which was yesterday and today,” said Labaran in his argument while seeking a bench warrant to revoke Melaye’s bail.

Labaran further argued that the deponent to the affidavit tendered by Tarfa in court was not a counsel and did not understand the facts of the affidavit to which he deposed. He therefore urged court to disregard such affidavit and throw it out.

And Justice Goodluck, after having heard all the prayers made by the two counsels and having examined all the documents tendered before court by both counsels, ruled that the defence had been able to prove that the defendant could not appear in court owing to his ill health, and therefore granted him bail sine dine, pending when he is fit to appear in court for the continuation of his trial.

Source