Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed February 26, 2024, to commence hearing of the N50 billion suit filed against the Nigerian government by the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
This was disclosed on Thursday by Kanu’s special counsel, Barrister Aloy Ejimakor.
SaharaReporters on Wednesday reported that Ejimakor said that the court had again adjourned the hearing of the case which was earlier fixed for Thursday.
Ejimakor vowed that the setback would not affect the zeal of Kanu’s legal team to get justice for the IPOB leader.
He said, “Despite this setback, the Legal Team is poised for a short date, as we stand ready to join issues with this never-ending case, spanning nine years from 2015. All processes are in.”
The court in the adjournment notice sent to the parties in the case said, “If either party desires to postpone the hearing he must apply to the Court as soon as possible for that purpose; and if the application is based on any matter of fact, he must be prepared to give proof of those facts.”
The notice further stated, “The parties are warned that at the hearing they are required to bring forward all the evidence by witnesses or by documents which each of them desires to rely on in support of his own case and in contradiction of that of his opponent.
“The proof will be required at the hearing, and not on a subsequent day and parties failing to bring their evidence forward at the proper time may find themselves absolutely precluded from adducing it at all, or at best only allowed to do so on payment of substantial costs to the other side, and on such other terms as the Court thinks fir to impose.”
The Court also said: “Parties desirous to enforce the attendance of witnesses should apply at once to the Court to issue one or more summonses for the attendance of the witnesses required.
“It is indispensable that the application should be made so as to allow time for reasonable notice to the witnesses required.
“If the witness is required to bring books or papers, they must be particularised in the summons sufficiently to enable him to understand what is meant.
“Any party summoning a witness through the Court, thereby becomes liable to pay such witness a reasonable sum of money to be fixed by the Court for his expense and loss of time.
“The Court may refuse to enforce the attendance of a witness unless such sum has been fixed and deposited in the Court.
“If either party desires to use in evidence tat the hearing any book or document in the possession or power of the other party, he must give the other party reasonable notice in writing to produce it at the hearing, failing which he will not be allowed to give any secondary evidence of its contents.”
