The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court on Monday rejected the bail applications filed by five suspects arrested in connection with the burning of the Rivers House of Assembly on December 29, 2023.

Justice Bolaji Olajuwon, in a ruling, refused to grant them bail on the ground that the defendants did not provide special circumstances to warrant their respective release from remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre.

Justice Olajuwon held that the defendants, charged with capital offences that bordered on terrorism, required extra circumstances’ evidence, which they failed to supply before the court.

The five defendants are Chime Eguma Ezebalike, Lukman Oladele, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Osiga Donald and Ochueja Thankgod.

Delivering a ruling on the bail applications, Ms Olajuwon said the defendants, especially Messrs Ezebalike and Oladele, failed to give cogent and verifiable evidence to back up their application request.

The judge held that in their affidavits supporting the application deposed to by Mariam Alawiye, an office assistant, they claimed to have obtained information and exhibits on the defendants from some persons but refused to share the identities of the persons with the court.

Ms Olajuwon said that to worsen the situation, the deponent did not make any documents or exhibits available to the court to support all her assertions in the affidavit evidence.

The judge explained that an affidavit evidence must supply names of those who volunteered information about defendants in a criminal charge as stipulated by Section 115 of the Evidence Act.

She held that rather than containing facts as required by law, the affidavit contained extraneous issues that were irrelevant to persuade any court to grant bail.

The judge also disagreed with assertions by the deponent that the defendants would not jump bail, commit any other offence or interfere with witness and investigation, adding that the claims were vague and hearsay because the deponent did not establish or produce any evidence.

The judge added that the offences the defendants were charged with were not ordinarily bailable.

In the application of Kenneth Kpasa, Ms Olajuwon said the claim of his 10 years of chronic hypertension and high blood pressure was not supported by any medical documents.

Besides, the judge held that the counterclaim by the Inspector-General of Police that the sickness could be managed by medical personnel of the prison was not disputed.

The judge, therefore, ordered them to remain in the correctional centre pending the hearing and determination of the matter.

Ms Olajuwon, who granted an accelerated hearing in the matter, fixed February 8 for the commencement of trial.

The five defendants were, on January 25, arraigned on seven counts bordering on terrorism charges.

They allegedly invaded, vandalised and burnt down Rivers assembly on December 29, 2023, in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/25/2024 preferred against them by the IGP.

(NAN)