Plateau Govt vs 7 Judges – Court Adjourns Suit Till December 8, 2020
By Israel Joel
The Jos Division of the Nigerian Industrial Court on Wednesday adjourned the case filed by seven Plateau State High Court judges over non-payment of their entitlement for five years.
In a suit no. NICN/JOS/21/2020, Justice Muhammad Sirajo, and six other justices had sued Governor Simon Lalong, Attorney General of the State, and the Plateau State Government for refusing to settle their benefits, demanding the defendants to pay their five years entitlements.
The suit which claimed that other set of judges were paid their money said there was no basis given to that effect.
At the hearing of the case, counsel to the defendants, FB Lotben, a director in the Ministry of Justice, asked for adjustment of the hearing of the case to enable the government pays the judges their entitlement.
This application was countered by the counsel to the plaintiffs, Oladele Oyelami. He said the defendants didn’t mean what they were saying, adding that they (defendants) would have included the claim in their defense.
Lotben who claimed that the defendants have started paying the money told the court to give her clients, a month to complete the payment.
Justice Kenneth Ikechukwu Amadi, in his response to both councils frown at the situation, said it was shameful for such a case to be brought to the court, he also transferred the case to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), for settlement, adding that if not settled, the hearing of the case would continue on December 8, 2020.
