Republished-Aluu four: Court frees monarch, three others

As expected abi...this is Nigeria, a place of so many possibilities. I trust that if the blood of Abel cried from the ground and God heard, that of this four will cry for justice and heaven will hear. The law may be about proof, true justice is about the heavens fighting your course.

Reprieve came the way of four of the 12 accused persons, including the paramount ruler of Omokiri-Aluu, Alhaji Hassan Walewa, yesterday as they were granted bail by a Port Harcourt High Court in their murder trial of four University of Port Harcourt students in 2012.The trial judge, Justice Latam Nyordee, granted the four persons bail to the tune of N2 million and two sureties in like sum. The sureties must also be verified to be resident in the trial jurisdiction and have evidence of landed property and updated tax record in the past five years.Ruling on the various bail applications for all 12 accused persons standing trial, Justice Nyordee said the 9th to the 12th persons charged with negligence to prevent murder have basis to be granted bail taking into consideration the weight of the allegations against them.However, it was a different ball game for the 1st to the 8th accused persons as the court denied their bail applications. The judge affirmed that he does not find sufficient basis to grant the applications as the charge of murder carrying capital punishment against them is not a bailable offence, barring the discretion of the court.“At this point, the court cannot grant them (the eight accused) bail barring the discretion of the court which it is not ready to exercise at the moment due to the charge of murder against them, which attracts the supreme capital punishment,” Justice Nyorde said.Those granted bail apart from Alhaji Walewa include Okogoro Endurance, Ozioma Abajuo and Chigozie Evans Samuel, the 10th, 11th and 12th accused respectively.Those denied bail include Lawal Segun, Ex- Sgt. Lucky Orji, Ikechukwu Levis Amadi, David Chimada, Abiodun Yusuf, Joshua Egbe, Cyril Abana and John Ayuwu, also known as ‘Johnny Baba.’The court heard evidences from Supol. Raphael Ezeji, the first prosecution witness, who tendered photographs and negatives of the alleged murder scene and those in the autopsy, carried on the deceased, which were both admitted as exhibits by the court. The trial judge adjourned sitting in the case till October 31st, when he is expected to rule on the argument between the prosecution and the defence, particularly counsel to the second accused, Emmanuel John, on the admissibility of a video footage on the murder scene downloaded from popular online publication, ‘You tube,’ which was played in the court during yesterday’s hearing.