Bail of Ugborodo Four: Tonwe describes Judgment as victory for Ugborodo people

 Former Chairman of Warri South-West Local Government and factional Chairman of Ugborodo Community Trust, Hon. David Jolomi Tonwe has described Wednesday January 8, 2014 Judgment by the State High Court 1 sitting in Warri which granted temporary bail to the Spiritual head of Ugborodo Community, Mr. Benson Dube Omadeli and three others remanded in Warri Prison as a victory for the Ugborodo people, just as he enjoined youths in the community to remain calm and wait for the next line of action.

Hon. Tonwe made the statement at his private residence in Warri in an exclusive chat with Fresh Angle while receivinghundreds of Ugborodo men, women and youths under the auspices of Ugborodo Youth Network who thronged his residence in wild jubilation shortly after the State High Court 1 granted bail to the Ugborodo four who have been in Warri Prison since November 2013.

Hon. David Tonwe (2nd right) chatting with some of his loyal youths at his private residence after the court judgment

The men, women and youths walked from the State High Court premises to the private residence of Hon. David Tonwe in Warri GRA and thereafter took their victory trek through the popular Okere Market road to Angle Park Junction chanting victory songs, even as the crowd increased with many of the youths carry placards with inscriptions such as “we must get oppressors out of our land", " the Itsekiri youths need justice and equity".

Our Senior Correspondent who was at the court premises as early as 7am before the sitting commenced at about 8:30am, reports that the Presiding Judge of State High Court 1 Warri, Hon. Justice. M. Umukoro, granted the four accused persons bail on the grounds that the offences of the four Ugborodo indigenes does not attract capital punishment, but he was quick to add that it is not to say the offences raised against the four by the claimants are not punishable.
 

Justice Umukoro explained that the court granted the accused temporary bail until otherwise proven by the claimants, whom he said could not convince the court beyond reasonable doubt that the four accused persons are serial offenders, stressing that the claimants ought to have provided materials to convince the court.

Justice Umukoro therefore ordered temporary bail of the four accused with each of them parting with the sum of ten million naira as bail bond and a surety each who must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court paying like sum.

According to Justice Umukoro, the sureties must be civil servants of grade level 14 and above and must present documents of landed properties, evidence of gainful employment and letters of promotion as well as their international passports before the court, just as he noted that the four accused and their sureties must always report to the court on daily basis.

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