By Adeola Jacob
A Magistrate court in Kano has granted former vice president of the Kano Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industries, and Agriculture (KACCIMA), Alhaji Abdulaziz Sabitu, bail over allegations of inciting public disturbance and forgery.
Sabitu was arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Police, after honouring an invitation from the force, over an alleged incitement of members of the public against the council of the chamber, last week.
SOLACEBASE reports that the accused who has been in the custody of the police since Thursday was however, granted bail by senior Magistrate, Farouk Ibrahim Umar, in Kano, on Monday.
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It was gathered that Abdulaziz Sabitu’s arrest and arrangement are related to the leadership crisis bedevilling the chamber.
Sabitu, who is the spokesperson of a faction of KACCIMA, known as ‘Concerned Stakeholders opposed to the council of the chamber as constituted presently, was arraigned before the Court also on the allegation of conniving with some staff of the chamber, to stop the operation of the accounts of the chamber.
Before granting the bail, Magistrate Umar, had listened to the charges brought against the defendant, by the police prosecutor, S.S. Umar, as well as, the response from the defendant’s Lawyer, Mustapha Oseni.
The prosecutor argued that the defendant, last week addressed a press conference during which he incited thugs to invade the premises of the Chamber, as well as forged the letterhead of the chamber, which was used to write a letter to the Chamber’s banker, calling for the suspension of the operations of the account of the chamber.
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According to the prosecutor, the two charges are punishable under the Nigerian legal system and carry a jail term of up to seven years, and the defendant was asked if the allegations were true, and he said they were false.
Responding, to the prosecutor’s argument in court, the defendant’s Lawyer, argued that his client has been in police custody for over four days now, and pleaded that since the charges, are bailable offences, the judge should commit him to bail.
After, listening to both parties, Magistrate Umar, asked the defendant, if he was married, and whether his parents are still alive, the two factors he considered before going ahead to commit him to bail.
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The defendant was committed to bail at the sum of N20 million, with 2 sureties, who must deposit their passport photographs, and one of the sureties must also own a landed property, and the title of the property should be deposited with the register of the court.
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