A Grade 1 Area Court at Karu in Abuja yesterday granted bail in the sum of N50, 000 to a landlord, Abraham Terwase, who allegedly unlawfully restrained his tenant.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Terwase is charged with mischief, criminal intimidation and wrongful restraint after preventing Dr. Udekwu Mariet of Asokoro from entering her house.
The presiding judge, Alhaji Hassan Ishaq, granted the accused bail with a surety in like sum, after he had perfected the bail conditions.
Ishaq ordered that the surety must be a civil servant of not lower than the GL 07 cadre and be resident within the court’s jurisdiction.
He ordered that the surety should also deposit his or her driver’s license or original national identity card with the court’s registrar.
The judge then adjourned the matter until May 7 for hearing, after the accused had pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp. Phillip Akogwu, had told the court that Mariet had reported the matter at the Asokoro Police Station on March 5.
According to him, the accused damaged the padlock the complainant used to lock her house, changed the locks and also locked the main gate to the house. “When she challenged him, the accused threatened to kill her”, he said.
The prosecutor said the offence contravened the provisions of sections 327, 397 and 256 of the Penal Code. (NAN)
