The Court of Appeal on Wednesday reserved ruling in the motion to adduce fresh evidence in the N2.5 billion debt owed 110 disengaged staff members of the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.
The appellants are the ABU management, the Minister of Education and the Attorney-General of the Federation while the respondents are the 110 disengaged staff members of the university.
A three-member panel of judges, led by Justice A B Mohammed adjourned indefinitely for ruling in the applications by all parties.
The first case marked CA/ABJ/CV/1064/2022, is a motion by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) against the garnishee order in favour of the 110 dismissed staff.
The second case is marked CA/ABJ/CV/476/2023, and is ABU’ motion to adduce fresh documentary evidence.
On the resumed hearing of the case, Musa Yahaya, counsel for ABU management, prayed the court to admit the fresh evidence.
Whereas counsel for the 110 disengaged staff, Mr Adegboyega Kolade,prayed the court to refuse the appellant/applicant prayers.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the appointment of 110 ABU staff were terminated in 1996.
They approached the court in 2012, after failure of the institution to implement the recommendations of various visitation panels, which recommended that they be reinstated and all their entitlements paid.
NAN also reports that the court ruled in favour of the staff in 2015 and ordered the university to reinstate them and pay their entitlements, which amounted to N2.5 billion.
Non-compliance with the court judgment necessitated the garnishee order on the institution’s bank accounts in 2017.
However, when the garnishee proceeding was ongoing, the judgment debtors filed for a stay of proceeding as they had filed an appeal before Appeal Court in Nov.2018, contesting the 2015 judgment.
The Court of Appeal on its part on May 24, 2021, dismissed the appeal and affirmed the decision of the lower court.
The National Industrial Court then on Jan. 27 through a ruling made an order absolute in a garnishee proceeding ordering the CBN to pay the disengaged staff. (NAN)
