Court grants Ekiti gov’s associate, Agbele, bail over N1.2bn fraud

Justice Olukayode Adeniyi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday, granted bail to an associate of the Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose.
Abiodun Agbele had been in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission since June 27, when the operatives of the anti-graft agency arrested and detained him over his handling of the sum of N1.2billion on behalf of Fayose in 2014, during the run-up to the Ekiti State governorship election.
The court averred that the order of remand the anti-graft agency obtained on June 30 from an Ogba, Lagos, Magistrate’s Court, to keep Agbele in its custody for 14 days, had expired when it transferred the suspect on July 1 to Abuja.
Justice Adeniyi ruled that the remand order issued by the Ogba, Lagos Magistrate’s Court expired and was no longer binding immediately the suspect was transferred outside the jurisdiction of the Lagos court to Abuja.
The judge further ruled that though the court lacked territorial jurisdiction to determine whether or not the EFCC breached Agbele’s rights before his transfer to Abuja, he averred that the detention of the suspect between July 1 and July 13, when his counsel sued the commission for violating his fundamental human rights, could not be legally justified.
Justice Adeniyi, therefore, granted Agbele bail in the sum of N50m with one surety, who must, at least, be in the rank of a director in either the Federal Civil Service or the FCT Administration or any of the other Federal departments and agencies.
The court further held that the surety to be produced by the suspect, could, in the alternative, be a responsible Nigerian with verifiable residential address in Abuja, who must also possess title documents of property in the FCT.