A Lawyer, Kenneth Okonkwo, stated that it was wrong for the Magistrate Court in Ekiti to order the remand of the human rights lawyer, Farotimi, in the Correctional Center when he was granted bail on the same case by a higher court.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
In a post on his X handle on Wednesday, he argued that handcuffing Farotimi was also another illegality committed in his trial.
“What is going on now with the bail application and persecution of Dele Farotimi has actually confirmed the veracity of his claims in his book, ‘Nigeria and the Criminal Justice System’.
“Is it not a judicial embarrassment that a Magistrate Court will still remand a person in custody for offences on which a Federal High Court has granted same person bail?
“If we continue like this, time will come when a High Court will overrule the Supreme Court on a matter,” he said.
The Nollywood legend further argued that Farotimi, in line with Section 5 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (2015), was not supposed to be handcuffed.
“Is it not against the law for any person who is already in the custody of the Police or any security agency to be put in handcuffs?
“Section 5 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act states: A suspect or defendant may not be handcuffed, bound or be subjected to restraint except: (a) there is reasonable apprehension of violence or an attempt to escape; (b) the restraint is considered necessary for the safety of the suspect or defendant; or (c) by order of a court.
“None of these conditions was met before Dele Farotimi was handcuffed and this shows how rotten our Criminal Justice System is tilting towards. When criminals are running the CJS, the result is criminality,” he added.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
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