A Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, Chief Lamidi Adedibu, was on Thursday, arraigned at an Abuja Magistrate’s Court on a two-count charge of acts capable of breaching the peace.
His arraignment elicited jubilation in Ibadan, his home town, where he is popularly known as a ‘garrison commander’.
The prosecutor, Mr. Columbus Okaro, said in the charges that intelligence reports indicated that Adedibu and two other suspects had planned to cause public disturbance in Ibadan, Abuja and some states in the country.
Okaro, who did not name the two suspects, however, said that the arraignment of the politician was to extract an undertaking from him that he would be of good behaviour.
The charges read, “That you, Adedibu, and two others now at large were arrested on a reasonable suspicion in that you are likely to initiate disturbance of public peace.
“Your conduct and that of your thugs are likely to breach public peace in Abuja, Ibadan and other states of the country contrary to Section 88(1) of Criminal Procedure Code.”
After the charges were read to him, Adedibu was asked if he understood them and if they were true.
Responding, he said, “Not correct at all.”
Okaro said that the politician and his followers planned to unleash mayhem on people across the country.
He said although the cases against Adedibu were still being investigated, he urged the court to help the Police extract a promise from him to keep the peace.
The prosecutor said, “My Lord, we are still investigating the accused and his followers. Intelligence reports at our disposal are very grave and we would not want to reveal them now.
“What we want is for the court to help us extract a promise from him that he will not cause trouble.”
But Adedibu’s counsel, Mr. Christian Okoli, said that the charges had no basis in law, “since they were based on speculations.”
He argued that Adedibu remained innocent until proved otherwise and, therefore, asked the presiding Magistrate, Mr. Sunday Ochimana, to grant his client bail.
Okoli said, “The accused is innocent by virtue of the 1999 Constitution until proved otherwise. The purported offence is based on suspicion. This apart, he is entitled to bail based on self recognition.”
He said nothing in Section 88, Sub-section 1, suggested that Adedibu had committed any offence.
The counsel also said that his client was only invited to Abuja on Wednesday by the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro.
Okoli tried to tender the letter but Ochimana said it was needless as the court was not trying him yet.
He said, “Now, nobody has said that Adedibu has committed any offence. The charge is just anticipation that he could commit offence.”
Okaro said he would not oppose the bail application but urged the court to take note that the accused was a very popular politician.
He added, “The accused person is a well-known and formidable politician in Nigeria. In some parts of this country, his words are like laws. Based on this, I want him to be granted bail with reasonable sureties and also extract a bond from him to be of good behaviour for one year.
“That one year is to enable us conclude our investigation and we believe that our fear of a breakdown of law and order will not happen.”
The magistrate granted Adedibu bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum. The sureties must own properties in Abuja.
Ochimana, who also ordered the accused to write an undertaking that he would be of good behaviour, adjourned the matter till January 21, 2008.
Before leaving the court, the politician signed the undertaking to be of good behaviour.
His son, Senator Kamorudeen; Senate Leader, Mr. Teslim Balogun; and the former Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Chief Azeem Gbolarumi, were in the court with him.
Okaro later told journalists that the police had achieved the purpose for Adedibu’s arraignment.
He said, “That is what we wanted – a guarantee that there will be peace in Oyo State and other parts of the country.”
He disclosed that if Adedibu had not honoured the police invitation, he would have been arrested.
Adedibu, however, said he did not see his arraignment as the handiwork of anyone. He said it was part of the “beauty of democracy.”
When prodded by reporters if his ordeal had anything to do with the comments by the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof. Dora Akunyili, that he was obstructing the activities of the agency in Ibadan, he said, “No.”
Adedibu said that the non-appointment of Akunyili as a minister made her to ‘be talking rubbish about me.’
Adedibu said, “That lady is a useless lady. Don’t mind her. She was in my house showering praises on me when she came during the campaign. When she lost her ‘right’ to become a minister, she started abusing everybody.”
Asked why he did not help her, he said, “It was God that did not help her.”
Adedibu had earlier visited the office of Okiro at the Force Headquarters.
Akunyili, in a reaction to Adedibu’s comment, said, “I am in Germany. I just got a message from my office that Adedibu told journalists in court today (Thursday) that I came to beg him to help me to become a minister and that was why I started complaining about him.
“I am in shock, I only went to Ibadan with the presidential campaign train with the presidential candidate and other members of the campaign team.
“Thereafter, I only went to Ibadan again during the recent stakeholders meeting during which I complained to the governor and the Oba (Olubadan) on how Adedibu consistently obstructed our activities in Oyo State.
“I never in anyway lobbied Adedibu or anybody for a ministerial position. I find it unbelievable that a man of Adedibu’s age can fabricate such a lie against me.”
In his reaction to the arraignment of Adedibu, the Oyo State Governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, said that the law was greater than any individual.
Alao-Akala, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Public Communication, Mr. Dotun Oyelade, said, “The law should, without prejudice, protect, first and foremost its own sanctity, which is greater than the interest of any individual.”
Adedibu, had for sometime been linked to some acts that led to the breach of the peace in Oyo State and to persons reputed to be leaders of thugs.
He was on October 17 accused by Akunyili of using thugs to obstruct the agency’s activities in Oyo State.
Adedibu also induced the political imbroglio that led to the removal of former Oyo State Governor, Rashidi Ladoja, in January 2006 by some lawmakers loyal to him (Adedibu).
During the crisis, some lives were lost and properties worth millions of naira damaged.
Adedibu is said to be the mentor of the Chairman of the Oyo State branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Alhaji Lateef Akinsola (a.k.a Tokyo), who is believed to be behind clashes involving thugs in the state.
Akinsola was on February 20 declared wanted by the State Security Service for violence in the state.
His name featured prominently in virtually all the mayhem that rocked the state when Alao-Akala first served as governor.
The Director of the SSS in the State, Mr. Adebayo Babalola, described Akinsola as a terrorist and a danger to the state.
By Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja
The Punch
Frida, November 16, 2007
