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From Jude Owuamanam, Jos
Plateau State may slip into another round of crises following the various interpretations given to the judgement of Jos High Court, which granted indigeneship status to any Housa born in Jos.
The Defendant/Applicant said it was never served with requisite hearing notice was denied its right to fair hearing in the hearing, determination and judgment in Suit No. PLD/J215/2026.”
The council further argued that the proceedings were conducted without effective notice and participation.
It further argued that judgment was delivered despite its absence throughout the proceedings.
The chairman further alleged that a hearing notice served on the council indicated that the matter was pending before the Pankshin Judicial Division, prompting officials to travel there on the scheduled date only to discover that no such matter was listed.
According to the affidavit: “Following the hearing notice which purported to have been issued by the Pankshin Judicial Division, the Applicant’s staff was at the High Court, Pankshin, but was informed that no such case was pending in the division.”
The council further stated that it was never aware of nor served any hearing notice whatsoever in respect of the conduct of this matter.
The council therefore urged the court to restore the matter to the General Cause List and allow a hearing on the merits.
It also sought an order setting aside all consequential reliefs granted in the judgment, including the directive compelling the issuance of a Certificate of Indigene to the first claimant, declarations made by the court and the order of perpetual injunction.
The court is yet to fix a date for the hearing.
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Also Plateau Initiative for Development and Advancement of Natives (PIDAN) has threatened court action over the judgment.
In a press briefing in Jo, PIDAN it would to pursue all available legal and constitutional means to challenge the decision.
The group said it had entered into collaborative talks with like-minded groups and organisations in the state and had set up a committee to immediately study the judgment and explore legal options, including filing an appeal.
In the text of the the conference, jointly signed by the President of PIDAN, Amb. Danjuma Nanpon Sheni, and the Secretary-General, Danjuma Auta, the organisation called on residents of the state to remain calm, peaceful, and law-abiding while legal processes take their course.
“PIDAN maintains that the question of indigenous ownership of Jos North had long been addressed through various judicial panels and commissions established following past crises in the area,” the communiqué said.
Also the Berom Educational and Cultural Organisation (BECO) in a statement described the judgement as a travesty of justice.
BECO President, Da Dudu Gyang Dalyop, in a statement, said that the judgement is akin to flogging a dead horse as all the questions on indigenes, settler had been settled in the past.
Meanwhile the Hausa Community in Jos said that they are in total acceptance of the findings and orders of the Plateau State High Court in the judgement.
In a statement signed on their behalf by Sheikh Lawal, the community said, “We see it as a welcome development and an assertion of the position of the Nigerian Constitution and African Charters on Humans & People’s Right prohibiting discrimination in all forms.
“We call on all concerned to see reasons and exercise restraint as move together as citizens to develop Jos North, Plateau State and the nation at large.
“We salute the courage of the Plateau State judiciary in laying to rest this monster of discrimination of Nigerian citizens on the basis of indigene and settler dichotomy. We call on the administrative (executive) arm of governments at all levels to muster the much needed courage as well in implementing the courts decision which we hope it will be for the good of all in the state.
