Nigerian boxing legend Bash Ali was arrested on
Wednesday Feb. 11th in front of a bank in Abuja for
constituting public nuisance. He was locked u and
charged to court for the offense. Despite meeting his bail conditions at a court hearing
yesterday, Mr Ali has refused to leave jail in protest
for his arrest and detention. A Wuse Zone 6 Senior Magistrates’ Court, Abuja on
Wednesday fixed April 2 for hearing in the criminal
case brought against Nigerian boxer, Bash Ali, and
four other accused persons. Meanwhile Bash Ali has refused to leave jail despite
meeting bail conditions. The four others are Gabriel
Ikyowe; Timothy Ugbede; Daniel Otoski and Jones
Ebele. They were arraigned by the police on Feb. 19 on a six-
count charge of joint act of abetment, criminal
trespass, and obstruction in public way. They were also charge with criminal trespass, causing
obstruction in public way, wrongful restraint and
criminal intimidation. The prosecuting police officer, Sgt. Bulus Samuel
said the charges contravened the provisions of
sections 79, 85, 348, 194, 256, and 397(b) of the Penal
Code. When case was first mentioned on Feb. 19, all the
accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges. The Magistrate subsequently granted them bail in the
sum of N1 million each with one surety each who
must be a civil servant not below salary GL 10. According to the Magistrate, the sureties must be
reliable, resident within the court jurisdiction and
must swear an affidavit to substantiate reliable means
of livelihood. Bello adjourned the matter for hearing to March 4,
adding the sureties, who must be civil servants, must
produce their first appointment letter and their last
promotion letter. At the resumption of hearing on Wednesday, the
Principal Witness 1, Mr Bisong Peter, told the court
that he and some of NEXIM Bank workers were
assaulted by the accused persons. Peter is the Chief Security Officer to NEXIM Bank. He said this under cross examination led by counsel to
the accused persons, Mr Anthony Agbolahan. According to him, Ali, his colleagues and others now
at large, disrupted NEXIM Bank operations by
preventing workers and customers from entering the
premises during their protest on Feb. 18. “Ali called himself a suicide bomber and claimed
that he was coming to bomb the bank. “As a security agent, my colleagues and I have to be
on alert. “They came on a protest carrying placard with all
kinds of inscriptions against corruption; we stopped
them but they were still able to gain entry into the
premises. “When they were disturbing and making noise, we
called the police who later came to our rescue. “Ali had visited NEXIM Bank several times but am
not aware the purpose of his visits,’’ Peter said. He, however, said that during one of such visits, he
had a meeting with the bank’s management and later
left in anger”. Defence counsel, Mr Anthony Agbolahan, however
asked Peter whether he was aware that Ali and the
Local Organising Committee (LOC) were planning a
boxing championship. When the witness answered in the negative, the
defence lawyer told the court that Ali and his team
visited the bank in connection with the championship. Agbolahan also sought from the CSO whether Ali and
other attacked the bank’s Managing Director, to which
the witness also answered in the negative. Witness also admitted that Ali had had a meeting
with the management before but that Ali left the
meeting in “anger” Senior Magistrate, Habiba Bello, having listened to
the parties adjourned the case till April 2 for
continuation hearing.
(NAN)

BASHELEWON