A Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Minna has granted an order for the immediate release of five persons in police custody over their complicity in the N2.9 billion loan taken by the immediate past government in Niger State.

The order was given by the court presided over by Chief Magistrate Hamidu Bima yesterday, but at the time of filing this report, the five persons including three former permanent secretaries, a serving permanent secretary and the ALGON chairman, Yunusa Adamu, were still at the Paiko Police Division.

The chief magistrate said, “I have considered the bail application made on behalf of the applicant. As the learned council has submitted, granting bail is a judicial discretion of the court”.

“However, the respondents did not file a counter-affidavit and they have expressed that they are not objecting to the bail being granted. Moreover, the respondents only sought for them to be kept in their custody for speedy investigation”.

The court, therefore, ordered, “Though they have just informed the court that the investigation is on-going, the applicants should be released from police custody unconditionally save that they should attend the panel of investigation on a fixed date the police may request them, till such a time that the police may complete their investigation”.

“Furthermore, the Nigeria Police or any of the security agencies should not arrest the applicant without order of this court; the order of detention of other suspects is vacated but they can be arrested and interrogated.”