A Kubwa Magistrates’ Court in Abuja has ordered that four men be kept in police custody for allegedly injuring two policemen while they were performing their duties.
The defendants — Gabriel Ezekiel, Jude Danlami, Daniel Effiong, and Jacob Yohana — are facing charges of criminal conspiracy, causing grievous harm, theft, and obstructing police officers.
The Magistrate, Oyepeju Mustapha, adjourned the case to March 20 to rule on their bail applications.
According to the prosecuting counsel, John Okpa, the case was reported by Joshua Matthew at Byazhin Police Station on March 6.
Okpa told the court that the four men, along with others who are still at large, broke into Matthew’s house and stole a smart TV and N100,000 in cash.
He added that when the police tried to arrest the suspects, they attacked the officers with cutlasses, sticks, and stones.
As a result, two police inspectors, Wabi Elisha and Ujah Sunday, were seriously injured and are currently receiving treatment at the National Hospital.
Okpa further alleged that an iPhone belonging to one of the officers, valued at N550,000, was also stolen during the attack.
The offences, he said, violated sections 97, 247, 287, and 171 of the Penal Code.
The four defendants, however, pleaded not guilty.
During the hearing, the defence counsel, Linda Asekhauno, asked the court to grant bail to Ezekiel, Danlami, and Effiong, citing section 36(5) of the 1999 Constitution, which presumes a defendant innocent until proven guilty.
Jacob Yohana’s lawyer, Emmanuel Oti, also applied for his client’s bail, referencing sections 158, 162, and 165 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
Okpa opposed the bail request, stating that investigations were still ongoing and the suspects’ release could affect efforts to catch their accomplices.
In response, Asekhauno argued that the purpose of bail is to allow the defendants to attend their trial freely.
“There is no medical record before the court to show that the police officers are in the hospital receiving treatment. If the police were not done with investigations, the defendants should not have been brought before the court,” she said.
The court will give its ruling on the bail applications on March 20.
