By Correspondent in Ilorin
A Magistrates’Court sitting in Ilorin on Thursday granted bail to the six protesting former ‘Sunset Teachers’ who were arrested by the Police over alleged Public disturbance and non observance of COVID-19 protocols.
They were part of the 2,414 sacked teachers recruited toward the end of the administration of former Governor, Alhaji Abdulfattah Ahmed.
The accused were arrested by the Police Command in kwara state on Wednesday during protest and were arraigned before a magistrate court the for criminal conspiracy, disobedience of COVID-19 protocols and disturbance of public peace.
Those charged are; Isiaka Toyin, Mohammad Olayinka, Salaudeen Abubakar, Ibrahim Alabi, Adewale Abdulazeez and a female, Aransiola Olubukun.
They were also charged with “Criminal conspiracy, disturbance of public peace, inciting public disturbance, disobedience of order duly promulgated by public servant and failure to comply with restriction order imposed by the government.”
The offences according to the prosecution were contrary to Section 97, 113, 114, 152 (B) of the penal code and regulation 17 paragraph (1) (I) of the Kwara State Infectious diseases (emergency prevention) regulation 2020 and punishable under the same laws.
The Police First Information Report (FIR) alleged that the accused conspired with other persons now at large while protesting on Ahmadu Bello way, Ilorin Kwara State.
They were also alleged to have defiantly blocked both lanes of the road and all peaceful efforts to get them off the road proved abortive, resulting in the obstruction of the road and grinding to a halt, free flow of vehicular and human traffic, thereby disturbing public peace and inciting public disturbance.
The FIR further alleged that during the course of the protest, the accused breached government regulations prohibiting the large gathering of people in public places by not using face mask and the maintenance of social distancing in contravention of the State Governor’s executive order.
According to the FIR, discreet investigation carried out by the SCID revealed that indeed, all of the accused conspired with other persons now at large to commit and did commit the said offences by sitting down on both lanes of the road and blocking the said Ahmadu Bellow way, Ilorin on 17th Feb, 2021 at about 1200hrs among other changes.
All the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges while the Police prosecutor, Inspector Adewumi Johnson, prayed the court not to grant them bail arguing that granting them bail might jeopardise the ongoing investigations by the police.
However, the defence counsel, Barr. Abdullahi Akewusola,pleaded with the Court to allow the defendants to be on bail, adding that the offences preferref against them were bailable, promising they would not jump bail.
He further told the Court that all the defendants were first offenders who never had criminal records, adding that “they have never been in police station for any criminal offence.”
Ruling on the case, the trial Magistrate, Mrs. A.A. Abioye,granted the defendants bail in the sum of N200,000 and two sureties each who must live within the jurisdiction of the court.
She also ordered that one of the sureties must be blood relations of the defendants while the other surety must be a civil servant in the state civil service.
The case was adjourned till March 4, 2021 for mention.
