10th June, 2017
Justice Kezziah Ogbonnaya of the FCT High Court, Kubwa, has frowned at unnecessary requests for adjournment by lawyers.
The judge who is handling the case filed by some traders against FCT Minister, over alleged denial of slots in the allocations of shops at the Wuye Ultra Modern Market, decried the attitude of the defendants’ counsel.
Mrs Regina Ofondo, counsel to the defendants, had told the court that she was yet to serve the court and the other party in the suit with some of the processes.
Similarly, counsel to the plaintiffs, Mr Seribo Peters asked for short adjournment, to enable him peruse the documents and file his reply.
The judge adjourned the matter until June 19, to allow counsel file and serve the processes in the suit.
Ogbonnaya tasked both counsel to be diligent by ensuring that progress is made in hearing the suit.
According to her, the matter has lingered because of the conduct of the defendants’ counsel, who always come up with excuses.
The judge also advised the counsel to “be different” in their work when others show signs of laziness, adding that for justice to be done, counsel must be diligent in the whole process.
In the fresh suit which was filed in December 2016 by Peters, the traders are seeking a declaration that the plaintiffs are entitled to occupy and use the shops allocated to them at the Wuye Ultra Modern Market.
They are also seeking for an order, directing the defendants to pay each plaintiff N500 million, as compensation and exemplary damages for illegal and unlawful denial of access to the shops.
The plaintiffs claimed that they were formerly at Wuse Central Market, and were given letters of provisional offer of shops and spaces by the defendants in 2001.
The amount they paid ranged from N2,000, N8,000 and N12,000, depending on the shop’s category.
The plaintiffs claimed that they were later denied the allocation, which led to an earlier suit CV/ 440/12, filed before Justice O.A. Musa of the FCT High Court, Apo in 2015.