Estate of a retired Bauchi State High Court Judge, Late Justice Bala Umar, ex-Khadis Hamidu Gambo Bununu and Mohammed Shua’ibu as well as the estate of the late Khadi Ibrahim Mohammed Liman have filed a suit before the National Industrial Court over the non-payment of their entitlements several years after they left service.
Counsel to the plaintiffs, Isah Mohammed, said at the premises of the court in Bauchi that the retired judge and khadis had dragged the state government before the NIC for the payment of their retirement entitlements totaling N166. 455million.
It’s true we have filed a suit against the state government
According to the retired judicial officers’ lawyer, “It’s true we have filed a suit against the State Government, the Honourable Commissioners for Justice, finance and the state accountant general. We’re asking them to pay the entitlements of our clients to the tune of One Hundred and Sixty Six Million Four Hundred and Fifty Five thousand, two hundred and eight Naira only (166,455,208,00), as calculated. We’re also asking the court to order the defendants to pay the plaintiffs ten million naira,
(N10, 000, 000, 00) as general damages and two million naira (N2, 000, 000, 00) for the legal services incurred.”
The counsel said that the plaintiffs were aggrieved by the actions and inactions of the defendants because they were not paid their entitlements several years after they retired from service while some of them had even died while waiting to be paid their entitlements.
He said the first plaintiff, the estate of a retired Judge of the state High Court, late Justice Bala Umar, retired from service on December 31, 2010, while the second plaintiff, Khadi Hamidu Gambo Bununu retired on November 30, 2012.
The lawyer added that the third plaintiff, Khadi Mohammed Shua’ibu, retired from service on December 31, 2013, while the estate of Khadi Ibrahim Mohammed Liman, retired on March 8, 2012.
He said that the plaintiffs were engaged by the defendants at various times and they worked diligently and rose to the coveted positions of a judge and Khadis in the state’s judicial service, until their retirement by the state government, which was responsible for the appointment and the payment of
the retirement benefits and other entitlement of Judicial officers.
