Alleged misconduct: Jigawa PDP chair, others get bail

By Bayo Alabira
Dutse

A Magistrate’s Court sitting in Dutse, the Jigawa state capital, has granted bail to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman in the state, Alhaji Salisu Mahmud, and five others that were detained last week.
It would be recalled that they were detained on a four-count charge bordering on
misconduct, financial recklessness, theft and criminal abuse of office, among others.

The accused persons regained their freedom after spending five days in prison custody on the charges that contravened Section 97, 312, 123 (A) and 287 of the Jigawa Penal Code, respectively.
The accused were the PDP chairman, Alhaji Salisu Mahmuda, Alhaji Salisu Sale Indirawa, the former commissioner for local government, Nasiru Umar Roni, who was the finance commissioner, under former Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido.
Others were Shehu Umar Chamo, Mukhtar Ibrahim Gonga and Abba Mohammed Daguro were former officials of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Jigawa chapter.

They had been dragged before the court by the incumbent Jigawa state government.
In his ruling, the presiding magistrate, Usman Muhammad Lamin, said the “court has carefully read all the submissions made by counsels of the accused persons on his request for bail and the objection of the bail raised by the prosecuting counsel.”

“The reasons put forward by the prosecuting counsel in objecting the bail application, including the accuse persons could jump bail, tamper with police investigation, cause public disturbance are all baseless. And, therefore, the court has exercised its power by granting the bail prayers,” he held.
According to him, each of the accused persons is granted bail in the sum of N2 million and one surety who must have an evidence of residence within the court jurisdiction.
The case was, thereafter, adjourned till July 3, 2017.