The Kano State High Court on Monday granted bail to Deji Adeyanju, after spending 67 days in detention. He was freed on bail when his matter came up in Monday morning, with a condition that he must provide sureties and N500,000, according to his lawyers.
He’s one of the critics of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mr Adeyanju was arrested on December 13 over allegations he was involved in a murder in Kano in 2005.
The police did not formally arraign Mr Adeyanju for the alleged murder.
PREMIUM TIMES confirmed Mr Adeyanju was charged for murder in 2005 at the Kano State High Court, but was discharged and acquitted in 2009 after a lengthy trial.
The previous acquittal and police’s failure to arraign Mr Adeyanju for several weeks after arresting him fueled speculation that his detention was politically motivated.
The police denied the allegations.
Mr Adeyanju spent over two months of his detention fighting for a bail at federal and state courts, because the police did not bring charges against which to defend himself.
Theophilus Agada, an associate of Mr Adeyanju, told PREMIUM TIMES the activist would meet the bail requirements today.
“He was asked to provide a senior civil servant in Kano State, and two pieces of land with N500,000,” Mr Agada said. “We are confident that this requirement would be met and he’ll be released today.
Mr Adeyanju, born in 1979, grew up in the northern part of the country for decades, where he attended his early and secondary education. While studying at Bayero University, Kano, in the 2000s, Mr Adeyanju was arrested and charged with murder alongside three others.
Although the case was dispensed several years before he became politically-active and a big voice in the Peoples Democratic Party’s youth wing, Mr Adeyanju’s murder case remained a potent political weapon amongst his detractors online.
At the heat of the political season between 2014 and 2015, Mr Adeyanju’s case was rehashed by Japheth Omojuwa on his blog, saying the political activist was “eased out of jail” by godfathers rather than that he was discharged and acquitted following a lengthy trial.
Mr Adeyanju admitted he was charged with murder and spent time in prison while awaiting conclusion of trial, but he was discharged and acquitted. He, however, pressed defamation charges to the tune of N50 million against Mr Omojuwa, saying the blogger intentionally defaced his personality even though he knew the matter was resolved in his favour.
Mr Adeyanju did not see through the defamation suit, amidst claims that he later resolved the matter with Mr Omojuwa out of court.
Mr Omojuwa did not immediately return PREMIUM TIMES’ calls and messages seeking comments about how the matter was resolved on Sunday afternoon.
His release has thrown the entire PDP family into jubilation considering