A Kano State Chief Magistrate court has adjourned to January 25, 2023 a suit filed against Wikkitimes Nigeria Limited (a Bauchi Online Newspaper) and its Reporter, Elijah Ojonicko for allegedly publishing defamatory statement against them the S.A.T Engineering Services and 3 other construction companies.
NIGERIAN TRACKER reports that the four applicants in the case, include S.A.T Engineering Services Limited, Insulum Nigeria Limited, Haitel Nigeria Limited and Surajo Sani Marshal.
The Applicants by means of Direct Complaint, urged the court to order the defendants to appear before the court to ascertain the culpability of their actions or otherwise.
According to the Complaints by the applicants, filed before the court, dated 27th October, 2022 and sighted by SOLACEBASE, alleged that Wikkitimes and its Reporter Elijah Ojonicko conspired and published defamatory statement against the three construction companies and Alhaji Surajo Sani Marshal.
However, at the court sitting on Monday, the case suffered a minor setback when counsel to the defendants Barrister Aliyu Yakubu told the court that his clients were not in court because of the incident they encountered while coming to Kano on Saturday to attend court proceeding,”
They were coming from Bauchi, on their way they ran into barricade by Kidnappers and they spent half of the night in the bush. It is for this reason that they suffered trauma and could not be able to attend the court proceeding today.
“In the light of the above submission, i urged the court to adjourn its sitting for three weeks to enable them have free mind to attend to the allegation against them”, Barrister Yakubu prayed the court.
Earlier, Counsel to the Applicants, Barrister Habiba Abdullahi Umar told the court that the case was slated for today mention, but however the defendants were not in court.
“I do not have object to the prayer for adjournment for the interest of justice but three weeks is too much,” Barrister Habiba Umar urged the court.
Consequently in his ruling, the presiding Magistrate, Auwal Yusuf Suleiman, adjourned till 25th January, 2023 for mention.
In the Complaint, the Applicants alleged that the defendants on 31st August 2022 published a false publication, that sometimes in the year 2018, the National Commission for Nomadic Education, (NCNE), budgeted N500m for the construction of 20 numbers of 1 block of 2 class rooms with furniture, toilets and offices in some selected locations in the 3 Senatorial District of Kano State.
In the Publication, the defendants alleged that the companies were awarded with the contract and were jointly paid part payment of about N290m.
