Mr Curtis Ugbo who is standing trial for alleged treason against Nigeria has been denied bail by an Edo High Court on Wednesday, Daily Times reports.
The accused was charged with treason for leading Benin Youth Movement on a peaceful protest to agitate for a better deal from the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company for Benin youths.
Justice J. Acha, Daily Times reports refused the bail application after reading the addresses in respect to the bail filed by defense and prosecution counsel, Mr. Olayewola Afolabi and Mr. Oluwole Iyamu.
Acha gave reason for his decline on the overwhelming evidence the respondent gave against the application. According to him, “evidence provided by the respondent in response to the bail application is overwhelming and I hereby refuse the bail.”
The judge who urged for an accelerated trial, gave a week for the prosecutor to file the processes so that the case can commence. Both counsels who spoke with newsmen after, gave an opposing view over the justice refusal of the bail application.
The prosecuting counsel while lauding the refusal, said it was for the interest and safety of the society. Iyamu said the state intend to expeditiously pursue an accelerated trial.
On his part, the defense counsel who expressed misgiving on the bail refusal, said he would appeal the decline.
Ugbo, president of the Benin Solidarity Movement, was charged to court following a protest he led to agitate for a better deal from the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company for Benin youths.
Edo Government considered the protest capable of undermining the peace of the state, and consequently arraigned Ugbo before a magistrates’ court.
The magistrate court remanded him in prison custody on March 24, and adjourned the case pending the advice of the state’s director of public prosecutions. It later declined jurisdiction to entertain the case.
Thus, the police charged Ugbo before the high court. Ugbo’s counsel subsequently applied for a bail application, an application which the prosecutor urged the court to decline.
In his arguing for the bail application , Afolabi had told the court that Ugbo deserved to be granted bail since findings of the police did not support the charge.
According to him, “Findings of the police do not support the charges. What my client did was simply to carry out a peaceful protest. How can a peaceful protest lead to evasion of the state?”
Opposing the application, Iyamu had said that granting the rights activist bail would be injurious to the society. He had said that Ugbo was charged with a sensitive matter, adding that the state had begun the process of giving the case accelerated trial. Iyamu had prayed the court to deny him bail.
“It is for the safety and security of the society. There is great danger in releasing the applicant, particularly when his cohorts are still at large,” he argued.
Source: Daily Times
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