Army lying over witness’ whereabouts, court told
A former Defence Attaché in the Chad Republic, Colonel Mohammed Auwal Suleiman (rtd) has told a National Industrial Court in Abuja that the Nigerian Army is lying over the whereabouts of its witness. Suleiman is one of 38 senior officers compulsorily retired by the army in 2016. He, along with others, had subsequently challenged the […]
Army lying over witness’ whereabouts, court told
A former Defence Attaché in the Chad Republic, Colonel Mohammed Auwal Suleiman (rtd) has told a National Industrial Court in Abuja that the Nigerian Army is lying over the whereabouts of its witness.
Suleiman is one of 38 senior officers compulsorily retired by the army in 2016. He, along with others, had subsequently challenged the legality of the compulsory retirement before the court.
At the resumed hearing, army’s counsel, I. I. Ngele informed the court that although the matter was fixed for the defense to open its case, the sole witness the defense intended to call, one Major Ali Abba Goni of the Army Headquarters Garrison Legal Services, is absent in court because he is on a course.
He therefore asked the court for an adjournment to enable the defense lead its case.
However, Suleiman’s counsel, Olayinka Adedeji, while opposing the application for adjournment, told the court that the claimant had it on credible record that contrary to army’s claim, the witness was as at Tuesday morning in the office but refused to come to court.
She said the claimant has pictorial evidence to prove that the witness was in the office and his car was parked in the office, thereby faulting the claim of the witness not being around.
Ruling on the application, the trial judge, Justice Sanusi Kado awarded a cost of N20,000 against the army for failing to produce its witness in court.
He thereafter adjourned the matter to December 3rd and ordered that the punitive cost be paid before the next adjourned date.
Daily Trust reports that Suleiman in his evidence in chief on June 13 told the court that the army violated its own rules and laws when it compulsorily retired some of its senior officers in 2016.