Isese: Kwara Court rejects Tani Olorun’s bail plea

Isese: Kwara Court rejects Tani Olorun’s bail plea

A Kwara state Magistrate Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara state on Tuesday, again turned down the application to admit Abdulazeez Adegbola aka Tani Olorun to an administrative bail.

The Presiding Magistrate, Mohammed Ibrahim, said Adegbola would run away and would no longer report for trial of the alleged defamation preferred against him if he was allowed bail by the court.

Adegbola was standing trial of alleged criminal defamation of character and inciting public disturbance against a group known as “Ogo Ilorin” in a video which had gone viral on the social.

He was alleged to have defamed some famous Islamic Scholars including one Tonile Okutagidi, and the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari in the viral video.

Counsels to Tani Olorun led by Mr Ademola Banks had on Wednesday, filed a written application before the court to plead for his bail.

The counsel argued that the offence preferred against the defendant was bailable.

He pleaded with the court to grant him bail in liberal terms adding that he was ready to satisfy the bail condition if granted by the court.

However, the police prosecutor, Nazir Yusuf, opposed the bail application, arguing that the reasons propounded by the counsel were not genuine to warrant granting bail to the defendant.

Yusuf said, “the reasons put up for the bail in the application contradict one another and had defeated the purpose of the bail to be granted to the defendant.”

He further argued that the court does not have a known address of the defendant, saying, “the court may not know how to trace the defendant aka Tani Olorun if he absconds or jumps bail granted by the court.

The Judge, however, agreed with the submission of the Prosecution and dismissed the bail application.

Ibrahim said, “Tani Olorun was safe in the custody of the Federal Correctional Center where he was staying.”

Speaking with newsmen after the ruling, the lead counsel to the defendant, Ademola Banks expressed displeasure on the ruling, describing it as a surprise.

“We are surprised that the Court could dismiss our application for bail for our client, Tani Olorun because the offence that he is standing trial before the Court is a bailable offence

“We will decide on the next line of action and take the necessary step”, the Counsel said.

Recall that Tani Olorun was first arraigned at the Magistrate Court for alleged criminal defamation and inciting public disturbance on August 17,2023.

Meanwhile, he will on Wednesday (tomorrow) begins to stand trial with another traditionalist, Ademola Olawoore, Oluwo Nla of Tede at a Kwara state Upper Area Court, Ilorin.

A legal practitioner, Abolaji Ajasa had earlier filed a direct complaint on behalf of his client, one Alfa Okutagidi accusing Tani Olohun and another traditionalist, Oluwo Nla of Tede of making malicious videos on social media.

The duo were slammed with alleged complaints of conspiracy, disturbance of Public Peace, inciting disturbance, Criminal defamation of character and intentional insult to provoke breach of peace contrary to sections 96,113,114,391,399 of the Penal code law of Nigeria.

The duo claimed that Okutagidi’s late father was a notorious Islamic scholar who had shrine in his life time, saying they also helped the Islamic scholar’s successor to seek spiritual assistance from Osun deity for his wife to conceive and give birth.

The Upper Area Court presided by Sunday Adeniyi, last week Tuesday, rejected the oral bail application made by the Counsels to the two Traditionalists led by Mr Ademola Banks and told them to come with a written bail application and fixed Wednesday, for hearing of the case.

Credit: Punch Newspaper