Nathan Tamarapreye
Hearing on two cases against a former General Manager of Radio Bayelsa, Mr John Idumange, who raised alarm over alleged diversion of N3 billion Agric loan by government officials was on Thursday adjourned till April 16.
The Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice in Bayelsa, Biriyai Sambo (SAN), had sued Idumange for misdemeanour and seditious publications against government officials who Idumange accused of diverting the loan.
Meanwhile, Idumange who was detained by the order of a Magistrate Court, where he was arraigned, approached a Bayelsa High Court, which vacated the detention order of the Magistrate Court and granted him bail.
It will be recalled that the cases earlier assigned Bayelsa High Court Sagbama sitting in Yenagoa presided over by Justice Ebiyerin Omukoro were resigned to Justice I.A. Uzakah who also sits in Yenagoa.
When the cases came up for mention, Uzakah said that although Counsel for Idumange, J.D Olubowale was in court, there was no evidence that the hearing notices have been served on the other parties after the cases were assigned.
The Judge directed the court registry to serve hearing notices on all the affected parties in the case and adjourned the matter till April 16.
Justice Omukoro who granted bail to Idumagbe was relieved of the two cases following a written complaint by Sambo who said that the bail application was granted ‘ex parte’ (without hearing from the opposing party).
Court records seen at the court registry indicate that the reassignment was sequel to a written request to the state Chief Judge, Justice Kate Abiri by Sambo.
Sambo had expressed doubt over Omukoro’s fairness as he vacated the remand order by a lower court and granted Idumange bail without hearing the opposition to the bail application.
Six days after his arrest and detention, Idumange on March 15 got a reprieve as the Bayelsa High Court Sagbama, vacated the order for his detention by a magistrate court.
Idumange, a former General Manager of Radio Bayelsa who alleged that officials of Bayelsa government diverted a N3 billion Agric loan was arrested on March 10 and charged to court the next day.
Some officials of the Bayelsa government had reported to the Police that Idumange had made seditious publications that maligned their persons in his claims.
Idumange who was also a former aide to Ex-Gov Seriake Dickson, was arrested at the gate of Royal FM, a private radio station, in Yenagoa where he was expected to speak on his allegations of diversion of the Agric loan.