An Abuja Federal High Court yesterday granted bail to Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, who was last Friday moved to Kuje Prison after being held in custody of the State Security Services (SSS) since November 21, in the sum of N25 million with two sureties in like sum.Both sureties must be resident in Nigeria and one of them shall be a national officer of the party on the platform which Ndume was elected or a serving political office holder of the Senate or House of Representatives.The second surety must be employed and must have a properly developed property worth not less than N50 million, which will be valued by an independent firm of estate surveyors and by the Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors.The surety must swear to an affidavit of means and evidence of three years tax payment as at when due and deposit title documents of the property to the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court.Ndume will also submit his official passport and current private international passport and sign an irrevocable undertaking not to interfere with any of the witnesses named or to be called by prosecution, a violation of which shall lead to revocation of his bail.The court, however said Ndume can within 14 days apply for a variation of his bail terms if they cannot be met.Meanwhile, he is to be remanded in Kuje Prison until the bail conditions are perfected.Ndume's counsel, Rickey Tarfa (SAN), had asked the court to grant his client bail on self-recognition being a serving Senator and a two-time member of the House of Representatives but Justice Gabriel Kolawole said doing so will be contradictory.He said: 'His status as a senator and a two-time member is a major issue of his disqualification. It will be contradictory for a serving senator to be indicted on such criminal allegations and granted bail on self-recognisance.'Tarfa had also said in the bail application that Ndume has an ailing health and will need to be managed by his personal physician but the court said there is no credible evidence before it to support his claims of ill health.Prosecuting counsel, Olufumilayo Fatunde, had opposed the application on the basis that Ndume might interfere with witnesses or abscond but Justice Kolawole said there is no evidence to show that Ndume will abscond or interfere with witnesses if granted bail.Ndume was last Monday arraigned before Justice Gabriel Kolawole on four counts of concealing information on attacks being planned by the Boko Haram sect, offenses which attract up to 20 years imprisonment under the Anti-Terrorism Act.There was celebration galore in Biu, Gwoza and many local government areas in Southern part of Borno State yesterday following the bail granted Senator Ali Ndume.The chairman of Southern Borno Development Association (SBDA), Yahaya Hassan Gaya, told journalists in Maiduguri that the bail was a roadmap to freedom for their senator.
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