- The judge also ordered that the bail would take effect from today (January 10) to January 25, when the bail application filed by the lawyer would be heard
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ordered the release of the suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Calabar, Cross River State, Cyril Ndifon, on temporary bail to enable him to go for glaucoma surgery.
Justice James Omotosho made the order following an application by Mr Ndifon’s counsel, Okon Efut, SAN, which was not opposed by Osuobeni Akponimisingha, lawyer to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
Mr Omotosho, who said he had considered Mr Ndifon’s oral bail application, admitted him to bail in the sum of N250 million with a surety who must swear to an affidavit of means and deposit his or her travel passport with the court registry.
The judge also ordered that the bail would take effect from today (January 10) to January 25, when the bail application filed by the lawyer would be heard.
The matter was consequently adjourned until January 25 and January 26 for the continuation of the trial and hearing of the bail application.
Mr Efut had, on Monday, informed the court that Mr Ndifon had been scheduled for eye surgery on Thursday (January 11).
The senior lawyer passionately appealed to the court to admit his client to bail to enable him to go for the operation and be able to stand his trial, but the court held that the bail application was not ripe for hearing.
The embattled varsity don was ordered to be remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre and the matter was fixed for today.
The development occurred after the ICPC’s lawyer alleged that one of the defence lawyers, Sunny Anyanwu, threatened the commission’s star witness on the phone over the case.