By Bello Hamza, Abuja
An Abuja Magistrate court has on Monday adjourned till June 28, 2022, the case between Lawal Abduhashim, Samson T Jakada and Nura Abdurauf, Mohammed Umar Kanoma for hearing of the pending applications.
The complainants who trade under the name style of Quanyenni Venture, sometime in December 2020, in federal capital territory Abuja were verbally instructed by the defendants, Nura Abdurauf and Mohammed Umar Kanoma both are deputy superintendents of Prison and Prison Warden of the Nigerian Correctional Services, Abuja respectively to submit a quotations for the purpose of conducting renovation work on a structural building situate at the Nigerian Correctional Centre Headquarters Abuja.
The Defendants informed the Complainants that no letter for award of the contract will be given, because the the renovation work is base on understanding and trust.
The Complainants’ quotation covered and accounted for the estimated resources and cost to be expended on renovating the Centre, which include but are not limited to roofing rafters, Plasters of pairs (POP) Ceiling and electrical works.
The total sum of quotation submitted to the Correctional Centre was twenty five million, eighty one thousand naira (25,081,000.00) only. Upon submission of the said quotation, the contract was approved and, on the 29th December 2020, the Defendants paid into Claimants’ Keystone Bank Account with the sum of two million naira (N2m) as a mobilization funds for the implementation of the contract to renovate the Centre.
In furtherance of the renovation work, the Defendants made payments of one million, five hundred thousand naira only (N1.5m) an a subsequent payment of of four hundred thousand naira only (N400,000.00) into above mentioned bank account on 30th December 2020 and 15th January, 2021 respectively.
The total sum disbursed to the Complainants up until the 15th day of January, 2021 by the defendants for the purpose of conducting renovation work on the Centre as agreed upon amounted to the three million, nine hundred thousand naira only (N3.9m).
The finances received by the complainants from the defendants enabled the complainants to start the renovation work. However, the complainants had to expand an extra sum of three million naira only (N3m) from their personal funds to conduct the renovation work to an advanced stage.
Having shown diligence and complete dedication to the renovation work on the Centre, defendants abruptly requested that the renovation work be halted without giving the claimants any reason whatsoever for sudden turnabout on their agreement to renovate the Centre.
When the matter come out on the 16th of April 2022, the 2n defendant failed to appeared in court and the court issued a bench warrant of arrest and then fixed May 30th for hearing.
So on the day of hearing which is 30th of May 2022, the counsel to the 2nd defendant filed before the honourable court motion of notice seeking the order of the Court to set aside the bench warrant of arrest made before the honourable court to arrest the 2nd defendants/applicant in the case.
Upon hearing this the counsel to the claimants filed a motion seeking an order of court to grant them a little time to go through the defendant application.
So the Chief magistrate, Justice Iyaana Emmanuel Aondover who preside over the case adjourned it to the 28th of June 28 for further notice.
