From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna has adjourned to December 1st, 2014 to hear the case brought before it by workers of Kaduna Polytechnic against the Polytechnic, Attorney General of the federation, the minister of justice as well as the presidential Implementation Committee on federal government landed property.
When the case came up for mention yesterday, counsel to the plaintiffs, Mr. Reuben O. Atabor pleaded for the new date for hearing since the case was for mention , and also the counsel to the second and third defendants, Mr. Nathan Dandien agreed with the new date to prepare for proper defence. Consequently, the presiding Judge, Justice Evelyn Anyadike adjourned the case for hearing.
193 workers of Kaduna Polytechnic had dragged the authority of the school to Federal High Court in Kaduna, for denying them to bid, under the monetisation policy of the federal overnment, for staff quarters occupied by them as employees of the institution.
The plaintiffs which included clerical officers, staff nurses,
lecturers, statisticians, executive officers, among other staff of the polytechnic had, through their counsel, Mr. Reuben O. Atabo, filed a suit number PHC/KD/CS/63/2014 at the federal High court, Kaduna.
Parts of the Writ of Summons filed in the court by the counsel stated: “the actions of the defendants attempting to exclude the plaintiffs from the federal government monetization programme by taking over and/or attempting to take over their residential houses is illegal,
null and void and in breach of the federal government white paper on the commission of inquiry for investigation of the federal government landed property and the decision of the federal executive counsel to lease the said houses to the plaintiffs/occupants. “That the plaintiffs are entitled to the same rights and privileges enjoyed by their colleagues in other institutions as a result of the federal government monetization policy”.
To this end, the plaintiffs have placed an order of perpetual injunction to restrain the defendants and their agents from doing anything that is capable of excluding the complainants from acquiring the houses.
They are also seeking for immediate release of the properties as the rightful bidders of all the locations of the staff quarters.
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