By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja
Kaduna State Polytechnic and its Rector, Professor Idris Bugaje, has been dragged before a Federal Capital Territory (FCT), high court, Maitama, over malicious publication.
The plaintiff, Mrs Bikkisu Sannusi, has through her counsel, Martins Opara Esq., prayed the court for N1billion damages over the said malicious publication.
The Civil Servant, wants the court to compel the defendants to retract the malicious statement and tender apology to her.
In the suit number FCT/HC/CV/154/2021, the Plaintiff insisted that the publication dated 15th April, 2019 is untrue, malicious and a calculated attempt at bringing her personality into disrepute.
In the statement of claim of the plaintiff dated February 24,, 2021, Mrs Sannusi, a civil servant in the budget office of the ministry of finance said by virtue of her schedule as Desk Offcer in charge of Kaduna Polytechnic budget preparation schedule, sometime in 2018 prepared the school personnel budget for 2018 and did it to the beat of GWR ability.
She said in the statement of claim, ‘’That premised on the memo and recommendations of the plaintiff n response to Kaduna Polytechnic application for increase in personnel budget, duly reviewed and reviewed and recommended by the director, Expenditure Social, budget manager and director general budget office of the federation, the sum of N7,362144,510,91k was approved.
‘’The plaintiff discharged her duty with respect to the application for increase of personnel budget without favour and under supervision and review of her superior officers.
‘’Sometimes on 15th July, 2020, while testifying in an Investigative Panel of Inquiry, constituted after her complaint against some of her colleagues for corrupt practices, she was confronted with a letter of complaint authored by the defendant where she was described in the most uncharitable words, which statement referred to the plaintiff as on t only incompetent, but corrupt but the committee refused giving her a copy.’’
She summited that the defamatory letter dated 15th April, 2019, was with the purpose to malign her.
She said she was denied a copy until she stumbled on it while walking in the lobby within the federal ministry of finance.
In the letter, the defendant had accused the plaintiff of asking them do the ‘’needful’ to be able to assist them to increase their budget.’’
Counsel to Mrs Sannusi said, ‘’The defendants’ sole purpose of authorising the letter of 15 April, 2019 is to malign the plaintiff and same was made maliciously especially as its content are spurious and totally untrue but did achieve the aim of the makers as contents therein did upon coming to the knowledge of her colleague who saw it lowered her person before them who before seeing same held her in high esteem thereby losing her over three decades of integrity in the civil service.
‘’The defendants were on a vendetta because they were fingered in the corrupt practices complaint lodged by the plaintiff against them and some of her colleagues who conspired with them to manipulate the personnel budget of the Kaduna Polytechnic for year 2020.
The case will come up today, (Monday) before the court .
