Court gavel
Appeal Court in Abuja has dismissed an application filed by Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) management seeking to introduce fresh evidence in a N2.5 billion judgment debt owed to 110 disengaged workers.
Justice O.O Oyewunmi dismissed the appeal, holding that the requirements for granting such prayers were not met by the applicant.
The court ruled that there was no exceptional circumstance to warrant the admission of fresh evidence.
The dispute dates back to 1996 when the appointments of the 110 staff were terminated.
After failing to implement the recommendations of various visitation panels, the staff approached the court in 2012.
The court ruled in their favor in 2015, ordering the university to reinstate them and pay their entitlements, which amounted to N2.5 billion.
Counsel for the disengaged staff, Mr. Adegboyega Kolade, had prayed the court to refuse the appellant’s application, while counsel for ABU management, Musa Yahaya, had argued for the admission of fresh evidence.
The date for the substantive suit is yet to be fixed, leaving the parties in anticipation of the next development in the long-standing dispute.
The court’s decision brings to the fore the complexities surrounding the case and the challenges faced by the parties involved.
