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Offa bank robberies: Kwara court admits governor’s Chief of Staff to N10m bail
A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin and presided over by Justice Mathew Adewara on Tuesday granted an interim bail to Yusuf Abdulwahab , the Chief of Staff to the Kwara State Governor , in the sum of N 10 m .
Abdulwahab had , since June 2 , been in police custody in Abuja after he responded to Police invitation over his alleged link to suspects who allegedly robbed about five commercial banks and one microfinance bank in Offa on April 5 .
Abdulwahab had initially filed a motion on notice before a Federal High Court in Abuja .
He had prayed the court for an order granting him bail from police custody on the grounds that he had been detained for longer than 24 hours allowed by law , without charge .
But the presiding judge , Justice Babatunde Quadri , rejected the bail application on the grounds that the subject matter of the case was outside the jurisdiction of his court .
The judge had therefore ordered the transfer of the case to the High Court of Kwara State for hearing and determination.
The case was , thereafter assigned to Adewara , who issued a hearing notice to the respondent , and initially fixed hearing for Tuesday , 17 July.
Abdulwahab ’ s counsel , Mr . Adebayo Adelodun ( SAN ) said that no one represented the Inspector – General of Police , Mr . Ibrahim Idris or filed any process on the said date of the hearing .
The SAN then prayed the court to grant his client ’ s bail application . The judge then adjourned the case till Tuesday , July 24 , for ruling .
It was learnt that on Thursday , July 19 , the Officer in Charge of Legal for the Police filed three processes seeking for time to file a response , a notice of preliminary objection to the case and a counter – affidavit to the application for Abdulwahab ’ s bail .
It was further gathered that as a result , the ruling , which was scheduled for Tuesday was , therefore , not delivered .
Consequently , Adelodun made an oral application for his interim bail pending the determination of the main application .
Counsel to IGP , Aderemi Ajibola , was said not to have objected to the application and left it to the discretion of the court .
Ajibola , however , moved a motion for extension of time , which was granted by the court .
The judge then adjourned the case till October 15 for hearing of the motion .
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