A Federal High Court, Abuja on Monday granted N5 million bail each to three out of the remaining 15 suspects who allegedly invaded the residence of Supreme Court justice Mary Odili.
Justice Nkeonye Maha admitted them to bail following an application separately filed by their counsel which was not opposed to by police prosecutor Mathew Omosun.
Maha had on December 15, 2021, refused to grant bail to Mohammed Yahaya, an assistant superintendent of police, Abdullahi Adamu and Abdullahi Usman, the 11th, 14th and 15th defendants respectively on the grounds that no bail application was filed before the court on their behalf.
The judge had ordered that the three defendants be remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre till the next hearing fixed for trial commencement.
All 15 defendants had earlier pleaded not guilty to 18 charges, including forgery, criminal trespass, intimidation, extortion, among others, linked to their alleged invasion of Odili’s home in Abuja on October 29.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Maha ordered that the defendants must produce two sureties each.
The judge also directed that the two sureties for each of the defendants must be responsible citizens, and one of them must possess a landed property in Abuja with verified certificate of occupancy.
Maha also ruled that the second surety must be gainfully employed in Abuja, having paid his or her tax dues for three years.
She said the documents of the landed property should be submitted to the registry of the court.
The judge, who ordered that the defendants must submit their passports to the registry, directed that all the defendants be remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre pending the perfection of their bail terms.
Although 22 defendants are charged in the case, seven of them are still at large.
Some of the defendants arraigned are Lawrence Adjodo (aka Ola Ojo), Michael Diete-Spiff, Alex Onyekuru, Bayero Lawal (aka EFCC director), Igwe Ernest, Aliyu Ibrahim, Maimuna Maishanu, Ayodele Akindipe (aka herbalist), Yusuf Adamu (aka godson to Peter Odili),
The rest are Bashir Musa, Mohammed Yahaya, an assistant superintendent of police, Stanley Nkwazema, Shehu Jibo, Abdullahi Adamu, and Abdullahi Usman.
The seven defendants at large include Ike Ezekwe, a lance corporal, Mike, Sani Bala, Godwin Lucas, Solomon Bagudu, Austin M. and Michael M.
