Justice Ifeoma Ojukwu Ridicules Sowore With Bail Condition
By Eze Alloysius
In the case of Dasuki v FRN the trial judge, Mrs Justice Ifeoma Ojukwu
ordered the surety to deposit N100 million. The Court of Appeal berated
her and set aside the illegal bail condition. In fact, the Justices of
the Court of Appeal unanimously held:
“…the condition for the deposit of one hundred million naira by the
Appellant’s surety as deposit for his bail is most unnecessary,
punitive, onerous and unjustifiable. There is no conceivable reason for
such oppressive bail condition as granted by the trial court… by the
provisions of Section 36 (5) of the Constitution, every person charged
with an offence is presumed innocent until the contrary is proved.
Regardless of the nature of the offence and the standing of a party in
the society, where bail is grantable, the condition attached must not be
suffocating, unbearable, unworkable and unduly burdensome.”
In the case of FRN v Sowore the same judge, Mrs Ifeoma Ojukwu decided to
overrule the Court of Appeal by directing one of Sowore’s sureties to
deposit N50 million as a bail condition. But when confronted with the
decision of the Court of Appeal in Dasuki’s case by Sowore’s lawyers led
by Mr. Femi Falana SAN Justice Ojukwu reluctantly set aside the payment
of N50 million by one of Sowore’s sureties.
In spite of the illegality of her action in imposing the “most
unnecessary, punitive, onerous and unjustifiable” bail condition, Mrs
Justice Ifeoma Ojukwu turned round to ridicule Mr. Sowore and the
appellate court by saying:
” I find it difficult to believe a man of Sowore’s pedigree did not
have anyone to deposit N50 million !!!
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