Two Caverton Helicopters Pilots, Samuel Ugorji, Samuel Buhari, and ten passengers who allegedly violated the directives of the Rivers State Government, have finally regained their freedom after days of incarceration and controversies.
In Port Harcourt on Tuesday, a Magistrate Court presided over by Chief Magistrate D.D . Ihua-Maduenyi, granted the two pilots bail after hearing the bail application by their counsel, Nwokedi Ibe, dated April 8, 2020, but filed on April 9, 2020 and supported by a 28-paragraph affidavit. Both pilots and ten passengers were accused of contravening the Executive Order of the Rivers State Governor issued to check the spread of the deadly coronavirus in the State.
The Magistrate Court stated that the two pilots must present a surety who must be a management staff of Caverton Helicopters and must own a landed property in Port Harcourt. The surety is expected to ensure that the two pilots attend trial and must sign a bail bond of N1million each for the two pilots.
The court granted a motion abridging the time for the bail application to be filed following a motion moved by Caverton Helicopters and the bail application was deemed to have been properly filed.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Professor Zaccheus Adangor who appeared for the State did not oppose the bail application, but requested that the Court should set out bail conditions to ensure that the pilots attend their trial.
The court ruled that the passengers, must present two sureties who must be management staff of Carveton Helicopters and must sign bail bond of N500,000 for each of the passengers and also vouch to bring them to court for their trial.
The 10 passengers who were granted bail include: 1. NWOGU CHIBUNA ‘M’, AGED 39YRS 2. PETER MICHAEL ‘M’AGED 43YRS 3. AJAGBA IHEAYNI ‘M’ AGED 35YRS 4. EKPEREWECHI OGUGUO ‘M’AGED 43YRS 5. NSIKAN PIUS ‘M’ AGED 38YRS 6. ABANOBI CHINOSO ‘M’AGED 27YRS 7. UDOH HAGAN ‘M’AGED 28YRS 8. OKACHUKWU CHUKS ‘M’ AGED 41YRS 9. GODDY CHUKWU ‘M’AGED 42YRS 10. OOMERURIKE CHIJIOKE ‘M’AGED 43YRS
The matter was adjourned to May 19, 2020 for trial.
