Just In : Abuja High Court Orders Detention Of 13 NUPENG Ex-Leaders In Kuje Prison (Details)
The Federal Capital Territory High Court has directed the incarceration of 13 members from the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) in Kuje prison. This ruling comes in connection with the alleged attempted murder of NUPENG’s national president, Williams Akporeha, and two other
Justice Yusuf Halilu ordered the remand of the 13 defendants in prison following their arraignment on a five-count criminal charge on Friday evening. The Inspector General of Police initiated the trial, accusing the defendants, including former national chairman of PTD, Lucky Osesua, and deputy Dayyabu Yusuf Garga, among others, of assaulting Akporeha, Wale Afolabi, NUPENG’s president and general secretary, and Augustine Egbon, the newly elected national chairman of PTD.
The charges state that on November 1, 2023, the defendants besieged the PTD office in Utako District, committing offenses under Section 114 and Section 229 of the Penal Code Act, 2004. These include acting in a manner likely to cause the deaths of Akporeha and Egbon, as well as voluntarily causing grievous bodily harm to their victims.
Despite the defendants pleading not guilty, the prosecution counsel, Frank Longe, applied for a trial date. The lead counsel for the defendants, Chris Oshomogie, SAN, orally sought bail, claiming that the offenses were bailable. However, the court rejected the oral bail application, instructing him to file a formal application and set a trial date for November 21.
Justice Yusuf further directed the remand of the 13 defendants in Kuje prison pending the determination of their bail application.
