Dimeji Bankole granted bail, rearrested.

Barely 10 minutes after Justice Donatus Okorowo of a Federal High Court in Abuja,  Monday, released the embattled former speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole on bail, he was immediately

re-arrested by security operatives from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Bankole was yet to perfect any of the conditions upon which the trial court granted him bail, before scores of armed mobile police men swooped on him shortly after the trial judge terminated the court proceedings around 11:16am.

He was subsequently whisked away in a white coaster bus marked ABUJA-BR-739-BWR, amidst protests from both his lead counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, and his teeming supporters who besieged the court today with a view to celebrating the release of the erstwhile speaker who has already spent eight days in EFCC detention.

Speaking to Vanguard after the arrest, prosecuting counsel, Mr Festus Keyamo, disclosed that a fresh 17-count criminal charge has been entered against the embattled former speaker and his deputy, Alhaji Usman Bayero Nafada, before a Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting at Apo.

Keyamo said the anti-graft agency has concluded plans to dock the duo by 2pm today, saying the fresh charge against them, bothers on allegations that they sidelined due process to secure a N40 billion loan towards the tail end of their administration.

 The EFCC maintained that both the former speaker and his deputy, connived with other persons currently at large, to illegally divert the said funds into their private pockets.

Meantime, Justice Okorowo granted bail to Bankole in the sum of N5million, adding that he should provide a surety in like sum.

While ordering both the accused and his surety to surrender all their travelling documents to the court registrar, he stressed that the said surety must not only be resident within the Federal Capital Territory, but equally, an owner of a landed property in Abuja.

The Judge directed that the intended surety must tender the title deed of his property to the Deputy Chief Registrar of the High Court for authentication, noting that the accused person should be remanded in EFCC custody should he default on any of the bail conditions.