Bauchi ADC gov’ship candidate Kashim vows to defend self in defamation case

By Musa Baba Adamu with agency report

The governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Bauchi State, Barrister Ibrahim Kashim, has dismissed suggestions that he ignored a court summons in an alleged defamation case, insisting that his absence was due to prior official engagements outside the state.
Kashim’s clarification followed the issuance of a bench warrant against him by a Chief Magistrate Court in Bauchi after he failed to appear in court in connection with a defamation suit filed by two legal practitioners.
The warrant was issued on June 9 by Chief Magistrate Abdulmumini Adamu in Suit No. CMCBH/870/2026, following an application by counsel to the complainants, S.U. Sarki.
The complainants, Barrister Ahmed Sani and Barrister Hussaini Saraki, accused Kashim of making defamatory statements during a television interview.
According to court documents, the lawyers alleged that Kashim accused one of them of collecting money from a client without rendering the agreed legal service and further suggested that they may have supplied information about him to government officials.
They described the comments as false, malicious and injurious to their reputations, arguing that the statements had exposed them to public ridicule and damaged their standing within the legal profession.
However, reacting to the development, Kashim maintained that he had no intention of disregarding the authority of the court.
In a statement, he explained that the summons was served on a Sunday after he had already finalized travel plans to Abuja for engagements that had been scheduled earlier.
He said that immediately he became aware of the court proceedings, he instructed his legal representative to appear before the court and seek an adjournment on his behalf.
“It is therefore not right to interpret our absence as absconding or a refusal to accept the summons,” Kashim stated.
The NDC governorship candidate reiterated his commitment to the rule of law and expressed confidence in the judicial process, stressing that he would fully participate in the proceedings.
“We have full respect for the courts and the legal system, and we are ready to defend ourselves according to the law,” he said.
Kashim further maintained that he had not committed any offence and expressed optimism that the legal process would ultimately establish the facts surrounding the allegations.
He assured supporters and members of the public that he would appear before the court at the next scheduled hearing and pledged to continue cooperating with the judicial authorities throughout the trial.