Alleged Assault: Ex-Commissioner, 5 others gets bail in Nasarawa

An Upper Area Court in Nassarawa Eggon, Nasarawa State, on Tuesday granted bail to Mrs Victoria Monde, a former Commissioner for Information in the state over alleged assault on a cleric.
The court granted Monde and five others accused of assaulting Pastor David Namo and Mr Joseph Ayiwulu.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the other defendants included Mafulu Gideon, Otta Abugu, Monday Francis, Danlami Emmanuel and Alkali Abimiku.
Mr Abdullahi Hassan, the Judge in charge of the court, granted bail to the defendants after they had pleaded not guilty to the charges against them, when the matter came up for hearing.
NAN also reports that two other defendants, Ovye Adamu and Iliya Umbugadu, were absent in court.
The court heard that Namo and Ayiwulu had accused the defendants of criminal conspiracy, assault and criminal force, wrong restraint, causing grievous hurt and criminal intimidation; punishable under Sections 97, 270, 256, 247 and 397 of the Penal Code.
Monde, who was also a former Provost, College of Education, Akwanga, and the other five defendants however denied the allegations levelled against them.
The judge granted them bail in a like sum of N500,000 each and a surety, which must be a civil servant from grade level 14 and above, among other conditions.
Counsel to the defendants, Joseph Atsevogo Maro, prayed the court to grant bail to his clients, adding that they are still innocent before the court.
Also, Benson Gabriel, Counsel to the plaintiffs, did not object to the bail applications, adding however that it must be within the ambit of the law.
Gabriel said that his clients must be protected in order to go about their normal activities without molestation and fear.
The court adjourned the matter till Aug. 19 for further mentioning.
NAN also gathered that Namo is a pastor in charge of Solid Rock Fellowship International, Akwanga, Nasarawa State.