Court Adjourns Abuja Mast Climber Case Till October 16 For Hearing

Nura Iliyasu, the 29-year-old who climbed a mast to protest the re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari, has been arraigned by the Police.

He was arraigned alongside two others — 28-year-old Iliyasu Lawal and 28-year-old Idris Suleiman — before a Wuse Zone 2 Magistrate Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on the accusation of trespassing the premises of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Ilyasu had climbed the telecommunications mast, and stayed atop the facility for 24 hours, before he finally heeded calls to descend.

NAN reported that the accused, who resides in Kaduna, were accused of attempting to commit suicide within the premises of the presidential villa.

Augustine Urom, the Prosecuting Counsel, accused Iliyasu of climbing the MTN telecommunications mast within the presidential villa to commit suicide while the others watched.

Urom told the court that the Department of State Services (DSS) transferred the trio to the FCT Police Command on September 18, while noting that they allegedly invaded the villa with various placards in protest, an act he said was capable of causing public revolt against the Federal Government.

According to the prosecutor, the offences contravened Sections 79, 348, 114, 113 and 231 of the Penal Code.

The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the five-count charge of joint act, criminal trespass, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and attempt to commit suicide levelled against them.

Uche Uwazuruonye, counsel to Lawal and Suleiman, filed an oral application seeking bail for his clients, on the allegations that the offences were bailable. He assured the court that the defendants would not jump bail if admitted.

Dim Udebuani, Iliyasu’s lawyer, urged the court to grant his client bail, in order to provide him enough time to prepare his defence.

Muhammad Abdulmumini, the Magistrate, admitted the three defendants to bail in the sum of N250,000 and a surety respectively, noting that the sureties must be from a Grade Level Seven Officer and above in the Federal Civil Service within the jurisdiction of the court.

The case was adjourned till October 16 for hearing.