The National Industrial Court on Wednesday restrained the Commissioner of Police from meddling in the affairs of the suspended chairman of the Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission, Muhuyi Rimin-Gado.

Justice Oyejoju Oyewumi also ordered the state government to pay Mr Rimin-Gado his entitlements of N326,508.07.

The judge further held that the acting chairman of the commission, Mahmud Balarabe, had no business in the suit that was within the court’s exclusive competence to decide.

The court, however, dismissed the defendants’ preliminary objection, which bordered on the court’s jurisdiction.

The defence counsel to all the defendants, Abdulsalam Saleh and Aliyu Fagge, had objected to the court’s jurisdiction to entertain the matter, submitting that the case should have been filed before the Kano Division of the court.

The counsel had unanimously averred that the cause of action and the parties were in Kano and therefore sought the objection for the matter to be transferred to Kano.

In response to the objection, the claimant’s counsel, Muhammad Tola, submitted that the suit was filed in Abuja because of the security situation in Kano between the claimant’s supporters and the state government supporters.

The court, having delved into the objection and dismissed it, also stated that the claimant’s prayer for the court to declare that his suspension was malicious, ultra vires, null and void did not succeed.

The judge also stated that the claimant’s prayer for a declaration that the fifth defendant acting as chairman of the commission was illegal, ultra vires, and unlawful did not succeed, as well as his prayer for payment of general damages.

Mr Rimin-Gado instituted the suit challenging his suspension against the Kano State government and five others.

The other dependents in the suit are the Attorney-General of Kano, the Kano State House of Assembly, and Accountant-General Kano.

Others are Mr Balarabe as acting chairman and Kano Commissioner of Police as first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth defendants, respectively.

From facts, the Kano State House of Assembly suspended the claimant as the substantive chairman of the commission on July 5, 2021.

Subsequently, on July 26, 2021, a letter was recommended for his dismissal and immediate arrest and prosecution over an alleged forgery. 

The claimant, therefore, approached the court, praying for the mentioned reliefs. 

(NAN)