A majority leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, has been granted bail on Monday by a Federal High Court in Kano State.
The court conditioned his bail to N500 million among others. Justice Muhammad Nasir Yunusa who granted the bail said the suspect must provide two sureties, one shall be a first-class traditional ruler while the other must be a permanent secretary at the federal or state civil service.
The judge ordered that the suspect shall deposit his travel documents with the court registry which can be released upon request if needed for travel. The documents must be resubmitted upon return from the journey.
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The court further ruled that the lawmaker shall desist from visiting his constituency during the forthcoming gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections.
Doguwa was arrested by the police in kano following violence that led to deaths and arson in Doguwa/Tudun Wada during the presidential and national assembly elections.
He was arraigned before a magistrate court alongside others, for criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, arson and illegal possession of firearms among others.
Counsel to the accused, Barr Nuraini Jimoh had applied for an exparte order before Justice Yunusa to grant the accused bail based on fundamental human rights, and lack of jurisdiction by the magistrate court that had remanded the accused.
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Barr Jimoh contended that since the accused was charged with culpable homicide and illegal possession of firearms, the Magistrate Court lacks jurisdictional powers to remand Doguwa
Barr Jimoh argued that the application was hinged on the fundamental rights and chapters 2 section 35 of Nigeria’s 1999 constitution which asserts that an accused is presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
Earlier Monday morning, some people from Tudun Wada local council staged a peaceful protest outside the Federal High Court in Kano to demand continuous detention of the lawmaker and rejection of his bail application.
The Judge ruled that the magistrate court lacks jurisdiction on cases involving firearms hence any judgment on a case that it has no jurisdiction is an exercise in futility. The case, was, however, adjourned to March 20.
