14th February, 2013
MADUABUCHI NMERIBEH/Kano
2 Nigerian radio journalists and a muslim cleric arrested in connection with the killing of nine female health workers, have been granted bail.
Chief Magistrate Ibrahim Bello of Magistrate Court 17 in Kano, granted the bail today.
The bailed journalists, Yakubu Musa, Mubarak Sani, are both staff of Wazobia FM. The third person arrested with them was Alhaji Abubakar Rabo, former Director General of Kano State Censorship Board.
While Musa and Sani were accussed of running radio programmes capable of inciting innocent citizens, Rabo got into trouble for refusing his children participate in the polio Immunization.
In his ruling for bail application, Chief Magistrate Ibrahim Bello granted the accused bail with conditions of two sureties each at the sum of N100,000 and of which the sureties must be community leaders and or Heads of Department of government organizations of which the accused are employees.
He adjourned the case till 13 March.
The Court last Tuesday refused bail to the accused persons, ordering instead that they remain in Police Custody until today when the Court will decide on the bail application.
In his presentation during the arraignment the prosecutor, Sergeant Sadiq Na”Abba said the charges include,criminal
conspiracy,abetment,inciting disturbances,intentional insult,obstruction of public servant in discharge of public function.
Others are Defamation of character and injurious falsehood contrary to sections 97,85,114,399,148,392 and 393 (1) of the penal code law.
They were said to have conspired and to have aired a programme discrediting the polio immunization programme,defamed the character,reputation and personality and insulted the district head of Tarauni.
According to the first information report of the case,this was meant at instigating the public against the immunization programme which resulted to the attacked and killings of nine immunization personnel.at Filin Cashew and Hayen Hotoro.