Date Published: 11/17/10

Uyo Court Denies Ime Umanah Bail over Threat message

The Akwa Ibom state Chief Judge, Justice Idongesit Ntemisua yesterday rejected the bail application by Dr. Ime Sampson Umanah and Ikemesit Iyire who are facing a two count charge of terrorism and threat to life, and sponsoring terrorism and threat to life.

Justice Ntemisua said at the High Court I in Uyo that Dr. Umanah and Iyire should continue to be in the custody of the state security service, SSS till Thursday 18th November when ruling on the application shall be done.
The plea by counsel to the accused persons, Barr. C. O. Ezeigbe that the 2nd accused, Dr. Umanah reportedly having health challenges, should be allowed to have access to his GSM phone so as to communicate effectively with his personal doctor, was also rejected by the chief judge.
She reasoned that if Umanah has access to his phone, he may likely use same to make calls other than that with his medical doctor.
However, she directed that the SSS should assist Umanah call his medical doctor as well as his family members any time he wished to do so.
Counsel to Ime Umanah had pleaded with the court that Umanah should be allowed to see his doctor and family because of his evidently failing health, arguing that the accused was just coming to honour an invitation with the SSS, and could not have come with his drugs, hence it was risky for him to be in the custody of the security agency for three weeks without access to his medical doctor.
Other than ill health, the defence counsel also agued for the bail of Umanah because according to him his offence was bailable, drawing precedence from Dokubo vs the federal government where the accused was granted bail.
He also dismissed the possibility of Dr. Umanah not submitting himself for trail, arguing that that was not possible for a man who willingly and promptly honoured an invitation by the SSS, and added that the second accused is a senior citizen.
But the Attorney General of the state, Barrister Ekpenyong Ntekim opposed the bail application, stating that the accused is a multi-judicial person owning landed properties in Lagos and some undisclosed locations abroad which, according to him were outside the jurisdiction of the court.
He said the accused persons should be used to teach the society a lesson, adding that threat to life via phone was common hence, granting them bail was not in the interest of the society.
According to Barr. Ntekim since the accused persons offences have threatened security of the people, their personal or human rights now became secondary.
As a man of many places of abode, all of which are outside the jurisdiction of this court being not situated in Akwa Ibom, the probability is very high that he may jump hail if granted, "he stressed, adding that the gravity of the offence and probability of guilt even makes it more likely that the second accused may not surrender himself for trial.
He also objected to the bail application by the defence counsel on the basis of age and poor condition of detention.
The first accused person Mr. Iyire who was also in the dock was not granted bail necessitating his mother to sob almost throughout the court session.
Dr. Umanah and Mr. Iyire were immediately whisked away under tight security in a white Hilux Toyota Van with registration number AP 739 UYY.
Though journalists covered the court session, they were not allowed to take photographs of the accused persons even within the premises, and a journalist who had snapped earlier was made to delete it from his camera.
Dr. Umanah's daughter was part of the legal team of her 65 years old father.
It will be recalled that Dr. Ime Umanah was arrested by the department of State Security, Uyo over his alleged role in two sms messages sent via GSM phone to the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Godswill Akpabio threatening his life and that of the governor's household.
It was Mr. Iyire according to the SSS boss who told the service that Dr. Ime Umanah asked him to send the threat messages to the governor.
The SSS Director read the SMS message to journalists and its contents are as follows: "we would have welcomed you Governor Akpabio with the blood of one of your family from the trip but we will take our time and strike you where it will hurt you most. Our intelligence has confirmed you have just bribed Nwodo, PDP National Chairman to manipulate elections in your state and frustrate Northern aspirants. We know you as Jonathan's Chief Financier. Your speech on his declaration and subsequent utterances is a confirmation of how well you hate the North. I hereby on behalf of the North and Boko Haramdeclare our hatred for you and your household, prepare your squad of kidnappers will soon hear from us. Is it a coincidence that loved ones of your political opponents are abducted and tortured? How will you feel if your wife suffers the same ordeal the captain's wife is facing?
The sexual humiliation the boys are putting her through just because he wants to contest against you. The wrath of Allah will not spare you when we strike you, infidel. You sold Ibori out, North will ensure you face the same ordeal."
The second sms which the SSS boss said was sent the same day reads thus: "You are not even ashamed, your people are suffering in the midst of plenty. We are closer than you know. Soon you will also cry. Idiot! May Allah punish you."
Ikemesit Iyire, the key suspect paraded before newsmen by the department of state security, upon interview told newsmen that Dr. Ime Umanah, who had been his greatest benefactor and close associate of his late father, had called him via GSM phone to tell him Governor Godswill Akpabio was making utterances which did not portray him as a leader and democrat.
One of such statements, Dr. Umanah found distasteful, according to Iyire is that the governor had said no other Presidential aspirant should come to Akwa Ibom State and campaign.
Iyire also said another grouse Dr. Umanah had against governor Akpabio was a statement he made during the declaration of President Goodluck Jonathan that North had been cheating the Niger Delta.
The suspect said Dr. Umanah told him he had been trying to reach governor Akpabio without success to talk about the issues.

He said that it is on account of Dr. Umanah's inability to reach governor Akpabio that "he asked me to compose a sms and send it to him. he told me to make it alarming so that the governor can sit up.
On whether he was paid to send the sms, he said, he was not paid but that he did it because he has great respect for Dr. Umanah who supported his education.
He however added that Dr. Umanah had promised to give him N10 million on an earlier date (that is before he allegedly sent the ill-fated sms), if the governor kept his promise of giving him some money for his up-keep.
Iyire also alleged that Dr. Umanah told him he did not mean any harm in asking him to send the text messages "but he wanted him to sit up and consolidate his support base; that he was not carrying his people along."
Ikemesit Iyire, a native of Ukana in Essien Udim LGA who is a graduate of Physics from the University of Port Harcourt said he had no other accomplices and did it for the first time. According to him he regretted the action and wants the governor to forgive him.
Dr. Ime Sampson Umanah who also spoke with journalists at the State Security Service headquarterswhere he said he has been held since last Sunday said he was invited by the SSS over threat messages sent to governor Akpabio through GSM phone.
While stating that he has known the suspect whose education and other needs he paid after his father died, he also said he had told Iyire to sent text messages to the governor but not threats to the governor's.