The Minna Chief Magistrate Court No. 1, sitting at High Court complex has adjourned till Monday, 3rd of August to rule on the bail application of the two Vetinary Doctors arraigned by the Niger State Command of the Department of State Service (DSS), for gun running and supplies of Army camouflage uniforms to armed bandits.
Napas Kefas and Caleb Gavers Known as Dandaura were picked by the operatives of the secret police in New Bussa headquarters of Borgu Local Government area of Niger State following a credible intelligent mechanism on the activities of the two syndicates.
They alledged to have been in the transactions of supplying army Camonflage uniforms to a notorious armed bandits Kingpin who has been on the wanted list of security agencies across the North West and part of North Central states.
The kingpin, Dogo Giadi was said to have engaged the service of the two Vetinary Doctors to treat his rustled cattles and other animals in his thick Kamuku forest along Niger, Kaduna and Zamfara states.
The operatives of the secret police had earlier arraigned them on three count charge which bothered on being in possession of firearms without lawful documents and illegal transaction of firearms and dealings in prohibited items.
When the three count charges were read to them by the presiding Chief Magistrate, Nasir Mohammed Mua’azu, they all pleaded not guilty and the Director of public Prosecution (DPP), in the State Ministry of Justice Barrister Moses Chiroma told the court that he should be given a new date to enable him prepare for his Prosecution.
At this point, the defense counsel to the suspects, Mr. Emmanuel Zakariya. had made an oral application for their bail, but the Chief Magistrate turned down the oral application saying,” I will refuse the bail, if you don’t come by application.
“You better come formally so that I will listen to you, if not, I will refuse the oral application,” he told the defence counsel.
However, at the resumed sitting for the move of the bail application, the defence counsel argued that the charges preferred against them are bailable and the suspects are all presumed innocent untill the case against them is established.
“My Lord, I prayed the court to grant them bail on liberal ground.”
On his own part, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Barrister Moses Chiroma told the court that there is no need for him to come with any written application on ground that offences in which they were charged carries five years jail term upon conviction and also there were ordinarily bailable offences and bail is at the discretion of the court.
“My Lord, I don’t think, I have to come with any written application to the court, because the charges upon conviction is just 3 to 5 years jail terms and the offences are ordinarily bailable.
“And bail is at the discretion of the court. Bail is purely the discretion of the Court to grant or not to grant the bail.
“Like I said, bail is at the court discretion and I don’t object to their bail” he told the court.
The case has been adjourned to Monday 3rd August, 2020 for the rulling on the bail application while the suspects have been returned to DSS detention facilities.
