Robert Nyong, the managing director of Lekki Garden
Homes, was on Thursday granted bail on self-recognition by Chief Magistrate
Afolashade Botoku of an an Ebute Meta Court.
She had slammed a bail of N10 million with two
sureties on Taiwo Odofin, one of the contractors of the collapsed building.
She ordered that the duo should report at the State
Criminal Investigations and lntelligence Department, SCIID, Panti-Yaba, between
the hours of 10.00 a.m., and 5.00 p.m., everyday until the police
investigations were concluded.
She asked them to submit their international passports
and should not travel out of the country until the case was concluded.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ms.
Botoku had on March 11 ordered the remand of Robert Nyong, MD of Lekki Garden
Homes and Taiwo Odofin, one of the contractors handling the project at their
first arraignment following a remand application brought before it by the
police.
Mr. Nyong is the owner of the five-storey building
that collapsed in Lekki area of the state which killed 35 people.
The police had urged the court to remand the two
defendants pending when they would conclude investigations.
When the case came up on
March 23 to hear their bail application, the police failed to produce the
accused and Ms. Botoku frowned at the attitude of the police.
At the hearing, the
magistrate, who stood down the case for an hour, ordered the police to produce
the accused before their bail applications could be heard.
The prosecution, led by
Goddey Osuyi from the Police Legal Department, informed the court that the
police failed to produce the two accused due to an intelligence report that
some hoodlums had planned to attack the court.
Mr. Osuyi said that in the
interest of safety, it was not advisable for the police to bring the accused to
court.
Lawyers to the accused,
Olabode Olanipekun and A. Uwangboje told the court that the prosecutor informed
them earlier before the court sitting and urged the court to apply its judicial
discretion in entertaining the excuse.
Ms. Botoku, in her ruling,
disagreed with the police submission, saying that the court will not submit to
a threat, which is the duty of police to ensure that adequate security was
provided.
She adjourned the case to
March 24, and ordered police to ensure the the two accused were present in
court.
The court had on March 11
granted an ex-parte application brought before it by the police, seeking to
remand the two accused in its custody pending conclusion of investigation.
(NAN)
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