An Ebonyi State High Court, sitting in Abakaliki, the state capital, had in October, remanded the two-term member of the House of Representatives.
Justice Fatun Rilman of the Federal High Court, Abakaliki division, on Friday, adjourned to November 22, 2022, to hear the bail application filed by the detained Labour Party Senatorial Candidate for Ebonyi South Senatorial District, Linus Okorie.
An Ebonyi State High Court, sitting in Abakaliki, the state capital, had in October, remanded the two-term member of the House of Representatives.
Okorie was reportedly kidnapped while driving out of his Abakaliki residence and was on the following morning brought to the Ebonyi State Police Command headquarters by members of the Ebubeagu security outfit, where the police alleged he was arrested over his involvement in illicit drugs deals.
He was arraigned for alleged offences bordering on false information, fraud, murder and felony.
In one of the three separate charges against Okorie, which dated differently, the police alleged that the suspect, in liaison with others, attempted to defraud the government of its property valued N750,000 in August 2021 in the Abakaliki metropolis.
The Police Prosecutor, Nduakaku Chinagorom-Eze, told the court that the offences contradicted sections 8 (a) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, Cap A66 Laws of Federation of Nigeria, 2006.
However, in court on Friday, the presiding judge, Justice Fatun Rilman gave the date after listening to both counsels for the applicant and the respondents.
Okorie’s lawyer, Michael Odo had in the motion, prayed the court to grant his client bail on health grounds.
Odo argued that there was an urgency to hear the bail application as the health condition of the accused was getting worse and needed proper medical attention.
But the counsel to the respondents, Roy Umahi opposed the hearing of the bail application, on grounds that the motion was not ripe for hearing, as he only received the processes earlier in the day.
Justice Rilman after listing to the arguments, therefore, adjourned the case to November 22, 2022, for the hearing of the motion for bail.
The hearing of the case was earlier scheduled to commence last Wednesday but was adjourned to Friday over similar reasons.