From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting in Maitama, Abuja, has ordered the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Professor Idris Bugaje, to open defence in an N1billon libel suit brought against him and the Kaduna State Polytechnic.
Bugaje, a former rector of the institution was alleged to have defamed the polytechnic expenditure officer, Mrs Bilkisu Sannusi
Mrs Sannusi had sued the defendants over what she described as their alleged defamatory publication against her.
The applicant claimed that the defendants maliciously described her as “incompetent and corrupt” in a publication dated April 15, 2019.
She stated that the publication was made and circulated as a “vendetta” against her.
This, the applicant said, the defendants did after “they were fingered in the corrupt practices complaint”, which she claimed to have lodged against them and some of her colleagues (in the Budget office) “who conspired with them to manipulate the personnel budget of the Kaduna Polytechnic for the year 2020.”
At the resumed sitting, the plaintiff, who testified as PWI adopted her witness statement, while insisting that she was defamed by the prof. Bugaje through a letter that was circulated and which she picked a copy at the doorstep of her office.
The witness who was led in evidence in chief by her counsel, Michael Opara, told the court that the defamatory letter, which was admitted in court as exhibit P3, was signed by Prof. Bugaje in his capacity as the Rector of the Polytechnic.
She told the court in the witness box that the said defamatory letter was circulated to the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja.
However, when some of the documents were sought to be tendered, the defence counsel, Kamarudeen Umar, vehemently objected to their admissibility.
Umar argued that being a photocopy of public documents they ought to be certified in compliance with the provisions of section104 of the Evidence Act.
But responding, the plaintiff’s counsel urged the court to discountenance the submission and admit the documents as they were relevant to the case.
In his ruling, Justice Hamza Mu’azu admitted the documents as relevant documents before the court.
Meanwhile, the court has adjourned the case to June 28 and ordered the defence to open their case after the close of the case by the plaintiff.
The defendants in the suit marked FCT/HC/CV/2021 are Professor M. Idris Bugaje, Kaduna polytechnic, and the Rector, Kaduna polytechnic.