Timi Frank calls for judicial inquiry into 'exorbitant' N15bn bail granted to former bank executive

n n

Timi Frank

n

By Omeiza Ajayi

n

Political activist and former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Comrade Timi Frank, has demanded an immediate investigation by the National Judicial Council NJC into the bail conditions imposed on businessman and former bank chief, Tunde Ayeni by a Federal Capital Territory FCT High Court in Abuja.

n

Describing the terms as outrageous, unprecedented and capable of bringing shame to Nigeria’s judicial process, he “urged the NJC to act swiftly and independently to investigate the circumstances surrounding the bail conditions and restore public trust in the judiciary”.

n

Frank, who currently serves as the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, and Senior Adviser at the Global Friendship City Association (GFCA) in the United States, made the demand in a statement on Thursday, alleging that some state officials were directly influencing the matter and that the bail terms imposed by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the FCT High Court sitting in Apo amounted to pre-conviction punishment.

n

The bail condition at the centre of the controversy requires a surety to provide a bank guarantee of N15 billion — the full amount stated in the charge — with an undertaking that the entire sum would be forfeited to the Federal Government should Ayeni abscond.

n

According to Frank, such a condition was unheard of for a bailable offence and bore no resemblance to terms granted other defendants in high-profile corruption cases.

n

“It is surprising to hear of such a condition, as it appears highly unusual and capable of bringing shame to our judicial process,” he said.

n

He cited former Governors Ifeanyi Okowa and Yahaya Bello as defendants who, despite facing allegations involving substantial sums, were granted bail on considerably less demanding terms, arguing that the glaring disparity raised serious questions about selective justice and the integrity of the process.

n

Frank warned that politics was increasingly penetrating the nation’s justice system and insisted that courts were constitutionally bound to protect liberty, not serve as instruments of pre-trial persecution.

n

“The Nigerian criminal justice system must resist the temptation to equate allegations with guilt. Courts are constitutionally obligated to remain the final guardians of liberty, not silent collaborators in pre-conviction punishment,” he stated.

n

He invoked Section 36(5) of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, and noted that Ayeni had expressed readiness to face trial and deserved adequate opportunity to prepare his defence while on bail.

n

Frank also called on the international community to monitor the matter closely, warning that perceived compromise of the rule of law would damage investor confidence in Nigeria and further isolate the country from the global community.

n n