Federal High Court turns back Okorocha’s ‘political crowd’ ahead bail battle

Political associates, friends and sympathizers of detained former Imo State Governor, Anayo Rochas Okorocha are being turned back at the entrance gate of the Federal High Court in Abuja as part of crowd control mechanisms. The sympathizers, who thronged the court premises as early as 7am, are in their hundreds struggling to access the court to witness proceedings. Okorocha, who has just been moved to the court room by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is billed to battle today for his bail in the N2.9B corruption charges brought against him by the Federal Government. His plea of not guilty was taken on Monday before Justice Inyang Ekwo who thereafter fixed today for arguments for and against his bail request. At the time of this report, the gate of the court had been firmly locked against the crowd which kept on surging upon the arrival of the former governor to the court. Although, no official statement from the court yet, it was reliably gathered that the private security men at the gate took the decision to avoid implosion in the court room. Already, the court room has been filled to the brim, while several others are loitering around the court room. It was also gathered that as a proactive measure, Okorocha himself has mobilized some highly placed persons comprising Senators, house owners in Abuja and top government functionaries to court to surety him if admitted to bail. The five Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs, engaged for defence by the embattled former governor are already putting their heads together on how to marshall arguments for the bail of their client.