A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja has postponed judgment in a N500 million suit against Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman Olisa Metuh, his wife, Kanayo and one of their aides, Oche Gambo.
Justice Folashade Ojo, on March 10, this year, scheduled judgment for May 18 after parties adopted their final written addresses.
When parties got to the court on Wednesday, its registrar announced that the judgment was not ready and that parties would be informed when it was ready.
Metuh and others were sued by owners and some workers of British Nigerian Academy, Abuja – a school formerly attended by the PDP spokesman’s son, Derrick – for allegedly forcing themselves into the school premises on February 19, 2011 and assaulting two of the school’s workers for confiscating Derrick’s mobile telephone.
Metuh’s wife and son were said to have visited her nephew, Kamsi Aghaji (a student), when an official of the school, Miss Amauche Igbe, allegedly saw Derrick giving his phone to some students in the boys’ hostel, in violation of school rules that no phone is allowed in hostels. The phone was seized.
The plaintiffs – British Nigerian Academy, Kola Pele and Hamzat Maftau – said in an amended statement of claim that Kanayo, after being unable to secure the release of her son’s phone, allegedly invited her husband.
They stated that Metuh, “accompanied by armed mobile policemen, arrived at the school premises in a convoy of three black jeeps, all with head lamps on and the drivers navigating the vehicles dangerously with reckless abandon, almost colliding with some students, who were clearing up after visiting day and this drew the attention of many students, staff and some parents, who were leaving the school premises after visiting”.
The plaintiffs added: “The 1st defendant (Metuh) alighted from his vehicle at the entrance of the Sports Hall of the 1st plaintiff (the school) and demanded to see the 2nd plaintiff (Pele) and, upon locating the 2nd plaintiff, the 1st defendant demanded forcefully, that his son’s phone be returned to him with immediate effect. But the 2nd plaintiff refused to release the phone.
“The 1st defendant then proceeded to grab the throat of the 2nd plaintiff and started to hit him several times with the 3rd defendant (Gambo, Metuh’s bodyguard) joining in the assault in the presence of a large crowd of staff, students and parents, who looked on in great fear.
“The 3rd plaintiff tried to act as peacemaker in the scuffle and when attempting to pacify the 1st defendant, the 3rd defendant kicked the 3rd plaintiff, knocking him totally off balance and causing him to land on his head.
“The 1st defendant seized the 2nd plaintiff’s office keys and mobile phone and threatened not to return them until his son’s mobile phone was returned in exchange. It was only after several staff and parents pleaded with the 2nd plaintiff to return the phone for fear of serious injury and death being inflicted on him by the 1st and 3rd defendants that the 2nd plaintiff reluctantly returned Derrick’s phone to the 1st defendant.”
