The presiding judge of the Kwara State Upper Area Court, Ilorin, Mr Sunday Adeniyi, on Wednesday granted Ademola Olawoore, Oluwo Nla of Tede who is standing trial alongside the popular traditionalist, Abdulazeez Agboola Tani Olohun, for alleged defamation bail.
The judge admitted Olawoore to bail in the sum of N500,000 and two sureties in the like sum.
“One of the sureties must own a landed property within the jurisdiction of the Court”, he said.
The judge, however, deferred the ruling on the bail application made by the counsels to Tani Olohun till Monday, September 25, 2023.
The defense counsels to Tani Olohun led by Mr Ademola Banks and Alh K. A. Adegoke for Oluwo Nla had argued their bail applications for the two defendants.
Banks urged the court to grant Tani Olohun bail in liberal terms, saying that the offense which he was trying trial for was ordinarily bailable while they were ready to provide suitable surety.
“We urged the court to grant the defendants bail in liberal terms because the offense is bailable. Besides, Tani Olohun who is the first defendant is a popular person and he’s ready to provide reliable surety that would stand for him, he would not run away and would make himself available whenever his presence is needed by the court.
Banks urged the court to exhibit its discretion by granting bail to Tani Olohun in the interest of fairness and justice.
Counsel to Alfa Okutagidi who was the complainant in the case, Mr Umar Imam, however, opposed the bail of Tani Olohun, saying that the traditionalist has no known address within the jurisdiction of the court.
He argued that Tani Olohun was facing another criminal allegation in another court, portraying him as a serial offender and not entitled to liberty.
He said that “the volatility of the environment and the heavy presence of security men around the court because of him (Tani Olohun) is a sign that they want him safe to enjoy his prosecution before the court.
Justice Adeniyi, however, adjourned ruling on the bail application for Tani Olohun till Monday, September 25, 2023.
This medium recalls that Tani Olohun and Oluwo Nla were facing five charges of alleged criminal conspiracy, inciting public disturbance, disturbance of public peace, criminal defamation of character, and intentional insult before the court.
Before he delivered his ruling on the bail applications, Justice Adeniyi, had warned both the Muslim and traditionalists to desist from searching for his photographs which he alleged would be used for evil purposes.
Adeniyi who spoke in Yoruba language before going on a brief adjournment said: “I want to warn the parties in the case and their followers to stop searching for my photographs. I’m not the one that brought you to court. I’m only the judge and I will do my duty as required by the law. I have sworn to an oath that I will perform my duties as provided by the Constitution. If you want to be fetish and practice your black power, you should direct it to yourselves or your counsels but not to me.
“Leave me alone to do my job. I will be fair to all the parties. If I do it and you feel that it is short of expectations, leave God to do the final judgment”.
Later when the court resumed to deliver the ruling on the bail applications, Adeniyi displayed a spectacle camera which he said was seized from one of the people in the court, saying, “This is the spectacle camera that was being used to take our photographs.”
