Former Kaduna State Military Governor, Col. Abubakar Umar (rtd), yesterday faulted the decision of the Federal High Court in Kano to deny immediate past Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido and his two sons bail.
Justice Evelyn Anyadike had on Thursday ordered that the trio and one Wada Abubakar be remanded in prison after counsel to EFCC, Chile Okoroma, said the agency’s facilities in Abuja and Kano were overstretched.
They were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 28-count charge of money laundering, abuse of public trust and collecting from contractors bribe monies amounting to N1.351 billion.
But Umar yesterday faulted bail denial to the detainees, describing it as high-handed and pleading with the judge to reconsider her stance.
Umar, who made his views known in a statement in Abuja, said: “The offence for which Sule Lamido and his two sons were charged is clearly a bailable offence. This is why it appears strange that not only were they refused bail but they are remanded in prison custody for about three months.
“This means that both Sule and his sons have started serving a prison sentence even before the commencement of their trial.
“It behooves all men of good conscience to appeal to the trial Judge to reconsider this high-handed decision. The principle of the accused being adjudged innocent until proven guilty must apply in this case.
“We are also aware that persons with similar cases had been granted and are being granted bail. We appeal to the trial judge to temper justice with mercy by granting Governor Sule Lamido and his sons bail.”
Meanwhile, security has been tightened around the prison premises as scores of politicians, friends, associates and relations of the governor have been thronging the prison to sympathise with Lamido and his sons –Aminu and Mustapha – since they were moved there.