By Amos Aar
THE Legal Adviser, Benue State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Clement Mue, Esq., has accused Makurdi Chief Magistrate, Taribo Atta Esq., of frustrating all efforts to secure the bail of social media activist and critic of Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, Mr Paul Terhemba Gyenger.
Gyenger was arrested on 25th August, 2023 allegedly on the orders of Governor Alia, through the Commissioner for Justice over alleged character assassination following a post Gyenger made on his Facebook wall on August 18, 2023 where he alleged that the governor diverted the sum of N2 billion federal government’s subsidy palliative money allocated to the state.
When Gyenger was arraigned on August 31, 2023, Chief Magistrate Atta had refused to grant him bail and ordered his remand at the Federal Correctional Centre, Makurdi on the ground that Gyenger’s counsel made an oral application which he said was unacceptable to him.
But Gyenger’s counsel told National Record on September 5 that contrary to the Chief Magistrate’s position, he had filed a formal written application for bail before him on August 28, 2023.
Mue, however, disclosed to journalists on Thursday that although the High Court had ordered Gyenger’s release on bail, the Chief Magistrate was still denying him the bail.
He described Gyenger’s continued remand at the Federal Correctional Centre, Makurdi as “illegal, unconstitutional and unwarranted”.
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Gyenger, who spent seven days under police detention, has spent another 16 days in remand as at Friday, September 15, 2023, totaling 23 days in captivity for an alleged civil breach.
