Court dismisses bail application of man removed from plane for opposing Tinubu’s inauguration

A Zuba Magistrate Court in Abuja has dismissed the bail application of Obiajulu Uja, the passenger evacuated from an Abuja to Lagos aircraft for making a sensitive statement about President-elect, Bola Tinubu.

 Uja, who is from Oji-River Local Government Area of Enugu State, was carried off the plane and arrested while voicing out that President-elect Bola Tinubu must never be sworn-in,

Ruling in the bail application filed by Uja’s counsel, Senior Magistrate Mohammed Abdulazeez Ismail, held that the application was premature. The Magistrate held that the exhibits attached to the application did not say the defendant was unfit to face trial but rather indicated he was of unsound mind. He also held that while the constitution guarantees every person’s liberty, a court can deprive a person of their liberty based on health grounds.

Citing the provisions of Section 35(1)(e) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and Section 278 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, the Magistrate held that Uja cannot be granted bail. He said that where the mental capacity of a defendant is an issue, the court has the duty to ascertain the medical situation of such a defendant.

He turned down the bail application and ordered that Uja be held at the Kuje Correctional Centre of Nigerian Correctional Service. He further ordered that the head of the centre to take the defendant to a government hospital to ascertain his mental capacity.

The magistrate then adjourned until April 20 for report and hearing