Olayiwola Matthew
The High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo state capital, has granted bail to 12 suspects in the murder of Akpo Alex, a student of Ajayi Crowther University (ACU).
The court granted the suspects bail to the sum of N5 million and two sureties each in like sum on Friday.
In a viral video in May 2024, some students of ACU were seen beating Alex, a 200-level student of mechanical engineering, over an alleged phone theft.
Following his death, the institution expelled the suspects and handed them over to the police for investigation.
During the hearing on Friday, the suspects pleaded not guilty to a two-count charge brought against them.
Ladiran Akintola, the presiding judge, granted them bail with their parents standing in as sureties, and adjourned the retrial till February 21.
Speaking to journalists after the hearing, Victor Otomiewo, counsel to the prosecutor, said the bail granted the suspects did not acquit them.
“The most important thing is the pronouncement and what every lawyer knows is that the granting of bail is not a declaration of innocence or acquittal,” Otomiewo said.
“The re-trial has been adjourned till February 21, 2025. If we are unable to resolve the matter on that date, the trial will proceed accordingly.
“With the pronouncement of the Judge and his conduct of the trial so far, everybody will go home and see that justice, real justice not abstract justice has been served.”