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Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State
By Akanji Alowolodu, Gombe
Temporary relief has come for Bala Sani, a social media handler as a Gombe State High Court 3 presided over by Justice Abdulhamid Yakubu has granted him bail after spending more than one month in prison custody.
Bala Sani has been in detention over Facebook posts which the Gombe State Government alleged had injurious contents capable of inciting and causing public disturbance.
He was arrested by the Police in Abuja on March 17th and taking to Billiri Correctional facility before he was eventually charged to court on the 19th of the same month arraigned on charges of posting injurious falsehood and inciting public disturbance over an event that happened in October 2021.
He was later relocated to Gombe Prison after he was charged to court for smooth trial and had been there before he was granted bail on Tuesday, 24/04/2022.
Though Bala Sani was granted bail at the Magistrate court with stringent condition which he was unable to meet, his defense Counsel, Haruna Lukas, filed a suit reapplying for the bail and a review of the bail conditions before the state High Court so that his client can enjoy his freedom while the trial lasts.
While granting the application for bail, Justice Abdulhamid asked Sani to provide two sureties; one of which must be a blood relation while the second must be someone with good standing in the society and must come from his Akko Local Government Area of the State.
Bala Sani’s lead counsel, Luka Haruna, who spoke through Stephen Onimisi, after the sitting, said the court ruling is another testament to the fact that the rights of humans should be respected.
He told reporters that, “The Constitution provides for the fundamental rights and liberty of every citizen and where these rights are being hijacked or trampled upon, it is the responsibility of the court to ensure that these rights are enjoyed by every citizen”.
According to him, “Today, the bail conditions have been reviewed and he has been granted liberal terms and we hope to fulfill those conditions and help him to regain his freedom.”
He also said that every citizen has the right to freedom of expression adding that Bala Sani was simply expressing his rights via a post on the Facebook on a Gombe State Government project in October last year.
He also explained that the charges against Bala Sani were similar to the charges against Senator Danjuma Goje’s social media aide, Adamu Yayari, which was also tried at a Magistrate Court in Gombe recently.
He described the charges as politically related cases adding that, Bala Sani’s case for instance, may be described as trump up charges but since the matter is still before a competent court of law, it is left for the court to decide on the matter.
