Three persons alleged to be involved in illegal tax activities, were on Wednesday arraign before the Chief Magistrate 1, in Lokoja Kogi state.
The suspects, Abba Emmanuel , Umar Abubakar and Kinsley San’asabe who were said be apprehended by Lokoja Local Government Area Vigilante Group, were accused of Criminal Conspiracy, Causing Obstruction on Public Highway and Extortion along Lokoja-Abuja Highway.
The Police Prosecutor, G. O. Itowo said on 13th November, the vigilante group of Lokoja LGA brought the suspects to the police having caught them impersonating the Kogi State Internal Revenue Services.
According to him, the three suspects erected a roadblock along Lokoja – Abuja road for their illegal revenue collections.
He subsequently prayed the court to read the First Information Report to the defendants to enable them take their plea.
However the trio defendants denied the allegation leveled against them.
While the prosecuting counsel moved for a date to commence hearing, counsel to the defendants, Muazu Abbas urged the court to grant the defendants bail.
Abbas who premised his bail application on Section 36 (5) of the Federal republic of Nigeria, and relevant section of Kogi criminal justice law, said the offences are triable by the magistrate court, “The defendant have been in police custody since November 13, 2024. And we urged the court to consider the bail application.
“The defendants will furnish the court with reasonable and reliable sureties to prove they will be available for trial. The court in the overall interest of justice should approve the defendant to bail.”
The prosecutor did not oppose the bail application, “I however urged the court to thread on the path of caution, and judicially and judiciously look into the case before considering the bail application.”
The Magistrate Abdullahi Musa Mopa after listening to the defendants counsel’s application for bail and the response of the prosecutor, granted bail to the three defendants.
“Without much ado, that on the circumstances of this application, the interest of justice tilt towards the applicant.”
“I hereby grant the defendants bail in the sum of N400,000 and a surety each in like sum. The surety must have a traceable address in Lokoja, and must not be less than a level 14 officer either at the federal or state parastatal. The surety must disclose their BVN and NIN to the court registrar,” he ruled.
The Magistrate subsequently adjourned the case to December 11, 2024 for further mention.
