By Collins Sunday – Lafia
The Nigeria Police Force, Nasarawa state command has foiled an attack at State High Court 5 premises by suspected thugs.
Students who allegedly took part in a protest which led to the destruction of property in the Isa Mustapha Agwai I Polytechnic were brought to the court for hearing when the incident occurred.
The Dune gathered on Friday in Lafia that the men suspected to be thugs came in their numbers to disrupt the court proceedings but the Police combined force were able to disperse them.
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Speaking with the Counsel for the defendants who is a lawyer from the Peak Chambers, Eyyazo Moses Esq, he explained that they were in court in order for the students to get bail and attend their trials from home.
“On the dates their matters were mentioned, the court remanded them in prison. They were not granted bail. Today, all the lawyers standing for the students jointly applied for their bail. We argued their application for bail and the police also argued their own application in opposition to our own application.
“The liberty of every citizen is guaranteed under the constitution. When you are been charged for an offense that is bailable, you are entitled to bail and this is what we have come to the court to seek for. Nobody is saying they have committed the act or they have not committed the act, all we are saying is that we need their bail in order for them to attend their trails from home. The students are 34 in number. Six females and the others are males”, he said
Meanwhile, there have been insinuations that some of the students are innocent of the crime but when contacted, Police Public Relations Officer, Ramhan Nansel, explained that the students arrested was based on available information to the police, saying that the court should decide their fates.
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“The students we arrested was based on available information at the disposal of the police. That is why they were arraigned in court. If they are innocent, they should prove their innocence in court and the court will set them free. The students were arraigned in court before the 24 hours the law stipulates so it is the court that will grant them bail not the police”, he said.
The Dune gathered that the case was adjourned till Wednesday March 24th for hearing.
