Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
A Makurdi Chief Magistrate Court has granted bail to prominent social critic Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, the Federal Commissioner of the Public Complaints Commission in charge of Benue State, and his Personal Assistant, Torkuma Uker, in the sum of N500,000 each with one surety in the like sum for the PA.
Tsav and Uker were on Monday arraigned before Chief Magistrate Dennis Ingya over their alleged complicity in the forgery of some government documents which they used in writing petitions against Governor Samuel Ortom and his administration.
When the case came up, Tsav and his Personal Assistant, through their counsel, Anthony Agada, pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them by the Attorney General and commissioner for Justice, Mike Gusa on behalf of Benue State Government.
Agada who had filed a bail application before the Chief Magistrate seeking for the bail of the two accused persons pending the determination of the substantive suits filed in other courts prayed the court to grant the former Lagos State Police Commissioner bail on self-recognition coupled with the immunity he is currently enjoying under the Public Complaint Commission office, while his PA should be allowed on bail since he is a staff of the Commission and an aid to the federal commissioner.
He said that the matter for which his clients were being tried bothered on alleged forgery of documents and dishing out of false information about Ortom and Benue state government which were already being entertained at Magistrate Court1 and Federal High Court.
He argued that the entire proof of service in this case amounted to multiplicity of action and abuse of court process contrary to section 394 of pinnacle code of Benue state law and urged the court not to hold his clients back.
On his part, Counsel to Benue state government, Andrew Wombo, opposed the bail application of Torkuma Uker while urging the court to grant bail to only Tsav based on status.
Ruling on the matter, the Chief Magistrate who noted that the accused persons had not been proven guilty to the charges granted them conditional bail and ordered that the first accused person Abubakar Tsav be granted bail on self recognition with the sum of N500,000, while the second person, Torkuma be granted bail with the sum of N500,000 and also to provide one surety who is a senior civil servant and who must own land property in Makurdi.
The Chief Magistrate thus adjourned the case to March 15, 218 for ruling.
In another development, a civil society organization, Human Rights Defenders and Advocacy Centre Lagos, on Monday protested against what they termed “unlawful arrest and detention of Benue citizens including Abubakar Tsav by the Benue state Government for whistle blowing”.
The Group led by its BOT Chairman, Comrade Innocent Agbo demanded the immediate withdrawal of the case against Abubakar Tsav, saying that to the best of their knowledge the former police boss had been unjustly charged to court for expressing his freedom to speech.