Iyabo Weeps to Police Cell!

Hi folks,

This just interesting! Pray, why will a Senator who is suppose to make laws for the land ignore that every law when it comes of questionable actions she has taken? What was she weeping about? So is she better than Adenike Grange who is older, has accomplished much in life than her that showed up in court, went through the procress and got bail? Does this country look like Ota farm to this woman?

How I wish just like Political Platform (a political programme on Ray Power Radio) has said, the presiding judge will not be in a hurry to grant her bail, so she will have a taste of the rubbish she tried to make of us, our constitution and our country.

Pls read on.

Daughter of former president Olusegun Obasanjo and chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, yesterday betrayed her emotions as she shed tears profusely,immediately after an Abuja High Court ordered that she should be remanded in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission's cell.

The trial judge, Justice Salisu Garba, in his ruling on Obasanjo-Bello's oral bail application, justified the court's earlier position when he held that section 341 (4) of the penal code would be infracted if Iyabo was granted bail based on an oral application.

He had earlier refused other 11 accused persons, including former minister of health, Prof. Adenike Grange, bail they made orally.

Obasanjo-Bello was charged alongside Grange and others over allegations bordering on conspiracy, theft and retention of N300 million meant to be returned to the Federation Account as directed President Umaru Yar'Adua.

Obasanjo-Bello, who arrived the court at about 8:56 a.m dressed in a Kampala material fashioned in the traditional adire style, reiterated her fear and phobia for the EFCC when she prayed the court, through her lawyer, Mr. Bankole Akomolafe, that she should be sent to the police cell instead of the cell of the anti-graft agency.

While bowing to legal authority, the embattled senator, who had been shielded from the law by the influence of her father, engaged journalists in a dramatic tour around the premises of the court just as she resorted to leave the court room by sneaking out through the back entrance precisely where the trial judge usually makes his exit.

But as soon as she appeared downstairs, she was stunned when she saw the newsmen she was running away from already positioned with cameras waiting to take shots of her while sandwiched between fierce-looking mobile policemen.

Earlier, Justice Garba had thrown out her two applications challenging the jurisdiction of the court to try her over the alleged theft of N10 million.

The judge set aside an earlier order he made that the accused person be arraigned in court on May 21, 2008.

He ruled that since she was in court in person, she should be properly arraigned.

Her counsel had contended that since she had submitted herself to the court, she should be allowed to take her plea.

The charges were read to her and she pleaded not guilty to all of them.

Akomolafe later moved a motion for her bail.

In his oral application, Akomolafe prayed the court to grant her bail at least for obedience to court.

He said his client was made a party in the suit and had made appearance through her counsel.

He said, "Counts 55 and 56 are bailable offences and considering the fact that the other accused persons are already on bail, I urge your lordship to extend such discretion to the 12th accused."

But counsel to the EFCC, Mr. James Binang, opposed the oral bail application on three grounds. First, he said, "because of the ugly antecedents of this case, there are some facts which I would want to bring to court by affidavit evidences."

He argued that since the other accused persons were asked to apply formally before they were granted, the 12th accused application for bail should also come formally.

Relying heavily on sections 341 and 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code which gives prominence to formal bail application, Binang urged the court to discountenance the oral application even as he maintained that Obasanjo-Bello must also grace the EFCC cell just the same way the other 11 accused persons did before their formal bail application was granted.

"This is court of justice, what is sauce for the goose is sauce for gander," Binang noted.

In his ruling, the judge agreed that since the case was a joint one, Iyabo should not be an exception.

He said, "The oral application for the 12th accused is hereby refused. I hereby ordered that the 12th accused person be remanded in EFCC custody."

When it dawned on Obasanjo-Bello that she was about to be a guest to the EFCC, the embattled former first daughter shed tears profusely from the dock where she sat, sandwiched between security operatives.