Kano court grants reduced bail to cleric facing forgery allegations

A Kano State High Court, presided over by Justice Jamilu Shehu Suleiman, has reviewed and modified the bail conditions of Islamic cleric Ibrahim Abdullahi Isa, who is facing allegations of land title forgery.

The cleric is accused of forging ownership documents for two landed properties located along Ahmadu Bello Way in Kano metropolis. According to the charges, the original title documents were issued in the names of Kassim Usman Baba and Audu Yaro Fagge before they were allegedly altered

He was earlier, on January 21, arraigned and subsequently imposed stringent bail conditions at the Senior Magistrate Court, presided over by Mustapha Sa’ad Datti.

The defendant was initially granted N20 million bail with two reliable sureties in the like sum.

The court further ordered that one of the sureties must be a traditional leader with an authorised letter from the Kano Emirate Council.

According to the magistrate, the other surety must be a prominent businessman who owns landed property valued at N50 million within the Kano Metropolis.

The presiding magistrate also directed the cleric to deposit his international passport with the court registry.

However, after two weeks without complying with the bail conditions, the cleric, on Wednesday, through his counsel, Barrister Abubakar Abdullahi Isa and Bashir Sabiu, approached the Kano State High Court, presided over by Justice Suleiman, seeking a review of the bail conditions imposed on the defendant.

In his submission, the counsel argued that the offence against the defendant is bailable and that the conditions imposed by the trial magistrate were unduly stringent, and prayed for relaxation.