Arepo pipeline vandals fail to get bail

The police have asked a Federal High Court in Lagos to deny bail to some alleged vandals of petroleum pipelines who were also accused of killing three engineers of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on September 5, 2012. The prosecuting counsel, Toyin Ibadin, urged the court to disregard the accused persons’ application on the grounds that the offence of murder, among others, with which they were charged attracted capital punishment.
He maintained that such an offence should not be treated lightly.
“Because of the nature and punishment attached to the offence, if the accused are granted bail, they will run away and the prosecution will not be able to produce them for trial since they live in places different from the scene where they were arrested,” Ibadin said.
The six accused persons are Joel Inerepamu (25); Reuben Oluwole (60), a community leader in Arepo; John Isaiah (28); Ineye Okposa (40); Timi Gunugunu (22); and Saheed Mudashiru (25).
Idris had earlier at the previous court proceedings on January 25 denied bail to Mudashiru, saying that the argument canvassed by his counsel lacked reasonable grounds.
At the resumed hearing of the case on Monday, Mr. George Iheanacho, counsel for Okposa, Oluwole and Inerepamu, urged the court to grant bail to his clients on the grounds of ill-health.
Iheanacho said the three accused had been in bad state of health ever since their arrest.
He therefore urged the court to admit them to bail on liberal terms.
Supporting the argument, Mr. Charles Ovuru, counsel for Gunugunu, also urged the court to grant his client bail since the essence of bail was to secure the attendance of an accused in court.
Idris after hearing the arguments of the parties fixed February 13 for ruling on the application.
The trial judge had ordered the remand of the accused persons in prison on November 29, 2012, after they pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The prosecutor had told the court that the accused persons had conspired on September 5, 2012, at Arepo, Ogun State, to vandalise an NNPC oil pipeline in the area.
He alleged that the accused had vandalised the pipeline and scooped large quantities of petroleum products for illegal sale.