Nasarawa Magistrate Court refuses 38 women protesters bail

AMagistrate Court sitting in Lafia, Nasarawa State, yesterday, refused to honour the bail applications for the 38 women arraigned for protesting against the Supreme Court judgment on the state’s governorship election.

The court fixed Thursday, January 25, 2024 for hearing of the bail application.

Police accused the women of causing public disturbance and mischief.

The court presided by Mohammed Lanze took the decision after listening to arguments by counsel to the parties on the bail application filed on Friday last week by counsel to the defendants, Ayiwulu Baba Ayiwulu.

At the resumption of hearing, yesterday, Ayiwulu relied on points of law to support his plea for the court to temper justice with mercy by granting the defendants bail.

Counsel to the Commissioner of Police ( CP), Danjuma Allu, argued that the complainant had seven days to reply to the bail application and urged the court to grant him a short date to reply in accordance with the law.

After listening to the counsel, Lanze adjourned sitting till Thursday for the hearing of the bail application. He also ordered the CP to produce the defendants in court on the said date.

Coordinator of a civil society group, Community Initiative for Character Modeling and Entrepreneurship Development, Kefas Tiga, described a situation whereby breastfeeding women, their children and others were denied bail despite an application by counsel as disheartening and reckless.

He called on civil society groups to wake up to their responsibilities by questioning some disturbing happenings in the country that negate the fundamental human rights of some individuals in the society.

Tiga added: “Not all these people arrested were part of the protests that started from March 19, 2023 and the protests had been peaceful.”