Yunusa Dahiru (aka Yellow), who is on trial for allegedly abducting 14-year-old Ese Oruru, a Delta State indigene in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, has met his bail conditions.
It was gathered that Yunusa left prison custody at the weekend after spending over four months at the Okaka Prisons in Yenagoa.
A source, who spoke in confidence, said Yunusa was taken to his community in Kano State, in company of his defence lawyers.
An indigene of Bayelsa State reportedly played a key role in fulfilling the bail condition slammed on Yunusa by the Federal High Court, contrary to insinuations that no Bayelsa indigene would be willing to stand surety for him because of ethnic and religious background.
Yunusa’s lawyers had been battling since March to free him from prison, following the difficult bail conditions the Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Ajiya Nganjiwa, slammed on him.
Nganjiwa set a N3 million bail bond and two sureties, who must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court, as one of the conditions for Dahiru’s release.
He also ruled that one of the sureties must be a traditional title holder, while the second must be a civil servant on Grade Level 12 or above.
The bail conditions also stipulated that the two sureties must submit their three-year tax clearance receipts and that the defence lawyer must sign an undertaking that the accused would not jump bail.
But the judge later reduced the conditions after Yunusa’s lawyer approached him, saying they could not meet some of the requirements.
The court said a Level 9 civil servant could take him on bail and further granted Yunusa’s prayers to allow any traditional ruler from any community in the country to stand as surety for him.
Many of the court sessions to hear the case recently were done in camera, following a request the court granted to the prosecution that Ese should be cross-examined in privacy.
But a source privy to the private court proceedings said Ese had been antagonistic, seeing Yunusa and herself in the courtroom.
Lawyer to the accused Mr. Kayode Olaosebikan confirmed release of his client, saying: “His people have taken him away.”
He added that Ese’s cross-examination would continue on the next adjourned date.
Miss Oruru gave birth to a baby girl and still in the protective custody of the Bayelsa State Police Command, which has taken responsibility for her upkeep in collaboration with the state government.