Timi Frank reacts to Ayeni’s bail conditions, demands NJC probe

Political activist and former deputy national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has faulted the bail conditions granted to businessman and former bank chief, Tunde Ayeni, by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja, describing them as unusually stringent and potentially damaging to public confidence in the judiciary.

This was as he demanded an immediate investigation by the National Judicial Council (NJC) into the “outrageous” and “unprecedented” N15 billion bail conditions imposed on the former bank chief.

Frank gave the reaction in a statement issued and personally signed by him on Thursday.

He alleged that the conditions imposed by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the FCT High Court sitting in Apo District of Abuja, were unprecedented and raised concerns about possible political influence in the case.

According to Frank, one of the bail conditions requires a surety to provide a bank guarantee of N15 billion—the amount involved in the charge before the court—with an undertaking that the sum would be forfeited to the Federal Government should the defendant abscond.

He argued that such requirements were excessive for offences that are legally bailable and compared them with bail terms granted to other high-profile defendants facing corruption-related charges.

“It is surprising to hear of such a condition, as it appears highly unusual and capable of bringing shame to our judicial process,” he said.

Frank, who currently serves as the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, and Senior Adviser at the Global Friendship City Association (GFCA) in the United States, alleged that some state officials were directly influencing the matter and that the bail terms amounted to pre-conviction punishment.

He cited former Governors Ifeanyi Okowa and Yahaya Bello as defendants who, despite facing allegations involving substantial sums, were granted bail on considerably less demanding terms, arguing that the glaring disparity raised serious questions about selective justice and the integrity of the process.

He warned that politics was increasingly penetrating the nation’s justice system and insisted that courts were constitutionally bound to protect liberty, not serve as instruments of pre-trial persecution.

“The Nigerian criminal justice system must resist the temptation to equate allegations with guilt. Courts are constitutionally obligated to remain the final guardians of liberty, not silent collaborators in pre-conviction punishment,” he stated.

He invoked Section 36(5) of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, and noted that Ayeni had expressed readiness to face trial and deserved adequate opportunity to prepare his defence while on bail.

Frank also called on the international community to monitor the matter closely, warning that perceived compromise of the rule of law would damage investor confidence in Nigeria and further isolate the country from the global community.