…BOKO HARAM SUSPECT'S WIFE, BROTHER GET BAIL

A Magistrate Court in Bauchi State has granted bail to the wife of a Boko Haram suspect's wife, Sa'adatu Nasiru Abubakar and the elder brother of the suspect, Haruna Garba, who were charged with treason.

In his ruling on the two applications filed by the counsel to the accused persons, Idris Jibo, yesterday, the presiding judge, Mr. Mohammed Mukhtar Abubakar, said counsel to the accused sought for the bail of the accused and the validity of the charges against them.

Abubakar argued that the charges on the police First Information Report (FIR) were linked to the principal suspect now at large not the present accused persons. Chief Magistrate Mukhtar, after examining the case, struck out charges on treason, inciting disturbance, joining unlawful assembly, mischief, causing grievous hurt and the act of forcefully removing armed robbery suspect from the hospital.'

He said the FIR report did not contain the present accused as members of Boko Haram sect and the offences committed by the first offender, Nasiru Abubakar and others now at large, could not be transferred to his wife and brother.

The presiding judge said the charges upon the present accused were possession of prohibited fire arms, conspiracy to screen offender. All the three charges, if proved, would earn the accused 15 years imprisonment. The court at its discretion considered that bail was a fundamental right of the accused based on these charges.

He said, 'the accused persons are admitted to bail in the sum of N200,000 each, with two sureties. One must be resident within Bauchi metropolis and will deposit a Certificate of Occupancy of a landed property as security for the bond take.'