Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo on Wednesday refused to admit to bail Mr. Frank Akpan, and his daughter, Anwan Bassey Akpan, the second and third defendants respectively in the alleged murder of job seeker Iniubong Umoren.
The second and third accused persons are standing trial on a charge of accessory after the fact to murder.
The Counsel representing the duo, Emms Ekongson had, on Wednesday, made an oral application to the court to admit his clients to bail “for the sake of Justice and for the fact that the health of the second accused person was deteriorating. It is visible that he (Frank Akpan) is waning away”
According to Ekongson, the offense of which the duo was charged is a bailable offense, stressing adding, “it is not a capital offense. My Lord, there is no likelihood that they will jump bail if granted bail”.
But ruling on the bail application, Justice Bassey Nkanang said there was no evidence brought before the Court to prove that the second accused person has any medical condition.
Nkanang held that granting the bail application was at the discretion of the court which must be judicially and judiciously exercised.
He further held that since eight of the prosecution witnesses have so far testified, and only about four are remaining, adding that instead of granting bail, the court would rather continue to hear the case in an accelerated manner “with a view to determining the fate of the accused person within earliest possible time”.
The trial Judge, therefore, denied the application for bail for lacking in merit.
Copyright PUNCH.
