Decision on police bid to hold Lugwili to be known today
A court in Kiambu County will today (Friday) rule on whether detectives will be allowed to hold for five more days a city trader in whose office police found 22 guns and 500 bullets.
Mr Wycliffe Okello Lugwili, who spent Wednesday night in custody, appeared at the Kiambu Law Courts Thursday but could not take plea as detectives needed additional time to investigate the matter before charges could be preferred against him.
The cache of arms was reportedly found in Mr Lugwili’s office by a security team accompanying auctioneers who were on a mission to cart away the businessman’s property over office rent arrears running into millions of shillings.
Frail and weak
At the Kiambu court, Mr Lugwili appeared frail and weak before magistrate Diana Mochache.
His lawyers, Mr Simon Mburu and Mr Anthony Mburu, protested against the push by the prosecution, through a miscellaneous application, to have the suspect detained for five days pending conclusion of investigations.
The lawyers argued that their client was diabetic and needed medication. They also argued that het was not a flight risk.
“My client is diabetic and needs access to his medication. We oppose his further detention by police as investigations continue because he has cooperated with the police and even went ahead to surrender himself at Kilimani Police Station when he learnt that he was a wanted person,” said Mr Mburu. Ms Mochache directed the police to give Mr Lugwili access to medication and produce him in court today at 9am for a ruling on whether he should be detained further pending investigations.
Access to medication
“The accused will be granted access to medication and report here tomorrow when a ruling on the miscellaneous application will be issued,” Ms Mochache said.
Mr Lugwili was to spend a second night at the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) headquarters in Nairobi.
The suspect turned himself in at Kilimani Police Station on Wednesday, after which he was handed over to the anti-terrorism police. Mr Lugwili was accompanied by his lawyer when he presented himself to the police on Wednesday.
Mr Mburu said there was nothing unusual given that his client was a licensed arms dealer and refuted police claims that his firearm dealership licence had been suspended three years ago under unclear circumstances. BY DAILY NATION
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