Court of Appeal dismisses bail application for alleged killer policeman
The hope of ex-policeman, Adeleke Adedeji, who is standing trial for allegedly torturing and killing of a car dealer, Benson Obode in 2015, to secure his bail application has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal, Benin City.
Justice J.O. Bada of the Court of Appeal, Benin City, dismissed the bail application filed by the defendant lawyer, Barr. Matthew Oghogho for lack of merit.
Adeleke and three other policemen, Oniyo Musa, Abena John and Henry Shobowale, before their dismissal from the force were serving in the Special Anti Robbery Squad, Lagos State.
They were accused of collecting the sum of N330,000 from the deceased account after allegedly killed him. It took the deceased family 63 days to locate the morgue where his corpse was deposited and labelled as Benson Agwu.
Prior to this judgment, counsel to Adeleke, Matthew Oghogho, on June 13, 2018 in an application supported by two paragraph affidavit, urged the court to grant his client bail to enable him seek proper medical attention having been in detention since his arrest.
He argued that since what the prosecution has against his client was stealing and that the case of murder was yet to be established, but the court refused and adjoined its ruling to June 22.
However, Justice Bada while delivering his ruling on the said bail application said that there was no ground to grant him bail.
He said: “There is no strong ground upon which to exercise our discretion in respect of the application of bail in favour of the applicant, Adedeji Adeleke and such, the bail application cannot be granted.”
Counsel to Adeleke, Matthew Oghogho however in an interview with journalists shortly after the court’s ruling on the matter stated: “The court has delivered its ruling. The opinion of the court is that since the trial still continue in the trial court, we will go back to the trial court and conclude it there.
“The case is not over, but what the court has just said is that it is premature to make application in the court at this stage.”
