Two (2) pilots and Ten (10) passengers of Carveton Helicopters remanded for flouting the Executive Order of the Rivers State Government to check spread of Coronavirus have been granted bail by a Port Harcourt Magistrate Court.
Chief Magistrate D.D. Ihua-Maduenyi in granting the bail Tuesday ordered that both pilots, Samuel Ugorji and Samuel Buhari, must present a surety who must be a management staff of Carveton to sign a bail bond of N1million each for the two accused, must own a landed property in Port Harcourt and ensure that both accused attend trial.
The court then adjourned the matter to May 19, 2020, for trial as Attorney-General of Rivers State, Prof Zaccheus Adangor who appeared for the state expressed no objection to the bail application.
On bail conditions for the 10 air passengers, the court ruled that they should present two sureties who must be management staff of Carveton Helicopters to sign a bail bond of N500,000 for each passenger and to undertake to bringing the accused persons for trial.
Counsel to Carveton Helicopters, Nwokedi Ibe, following the bail proceedings said, “There is need for mutual respect between federal and state governments. The defendants have been granted bail. That is the essence of what happened in Court.”
The State Attorney-General, Adangor said Rivers Government wasn’t interested in persecution of the defendants, the reason it did not oppose the bail application, adding that the state is only interested in prosecuting the defendants in line with the law.
A Port Harcourt Chief Magistrate Court had April 7 remanded two pilots of Carveton Helicopters to prison custody, for alleged deliberate flouting of the Executive Order by Governor Nyesom Wike, as part of measures to checking the spread of coronavirus in the state.
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