Court slams N20m bail on surety over alleged attempt to pervert justice

An Igbosere Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, on Monday slammed a N20 million bail on a surety, Rowland Dike, who allegedly failed to produce the person he stood as surety for.

The magistrate, Mr O. A. Amos, also granted Dike two sureties in like sum as part of the bail conditions. He said that one of the sureties must be his blood relation while the second surety should be a relation of the man he stood as surety for.

Dike, 42, who resides at Yemi Suara Graceland Estate, Ajiwe in Ajah, Lagos State, is facing a two-count charge of attempt to pervert the cause of justice and to show why the bail bond should not be forfeited.

The prosecutor, Insp. Ibrahim Haruna, had told the court that the accused committed the offences on June 1, at Zonal CID, Zone 2 Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos. He said that the accused stood as a surety for one Charles Amadi, who was involved in fraud and forgery.

Haruna said that Amadi was granted N200 million bail and Dike stood as his surety. He said the accused had promised to produce Amadi at the police headquarters on June 2 and other subsequent dates, but had failed to do so.

“The accused had the intention of perverting the cause of justice by failing to produce the person he stood surety for,’’ he said.

He said that the alleged offences contravened Section 97 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges. Amos adjourned the case to July 14 for trial. OCC/EOB/PAD

Vanguard