Court Adjourns Bagos Case Against Plateau Govt, Others

Plateau State High Court sitting in Jos, the Plateau State capital has adjourned to 30th August, 2022 for the continuation of hearing in a suit filed by the member representing Jos East /Jos federal constituency in the National Assembly Hon. Dachung Musa Bagos.

He challenged Governor Simon Lalong, state government and the attorney-general of the state and the commissioner for justice over the planned signing of MoU with Jaiz Bank to rebuild the Jos main market.

Our correspondent recalls that the Jos main market was burnt in 2002 with over 4000 shops destroyed which had affected sources of livelihood of traders in the market in the last years.

Bagos had secured a court injunction at the Plateau State High Court, restraining the state government from signing an MoU with Jaiz Bank to reconstruct Jos main market.

The injunction, which was granted on 2nd August, 2022 by Justice S. P Gang, restrained Lalong, the state government and attorney general and commissioner of justice, from signing any MOU with Jaiz Bank pending a hearing of the substantive suit.
However, when the matter came up for hearing on Monday, counsel to claimant /applicant, Barr. Niri Darong told the court that the defendants in his reaction to their originating surmount have chosen to file preliminary objections (P.O) and to allow notice of originating surmount on the fact that two applications shouldn’t take together respectively.
According to him, the counsel claimant /applicant said they filed their originating surmount dated August 9, 2022 and the notice of P.O also August 9, 2022 and was served on the objectors which they filed their counter affidavit in a response dated August 15, 2022, adding that the objectors also filed another dated August 3, 2022 in response to the notice of originating surmount.

Niri Darong told the court that they gave the objectors space of time to file their response which is within 21 days of notice, adding the P.O filed by defendants challenging the court for lack of jurisdiction to entertain the suit.