By Terna Chikpa
The Taraba State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Dr Mike Dio Jen, has dragged a staff member of the Taraba State University, Mr Abdumumuni Imam, to court over alleged defamation of character.
Dio Jen approached the court to compel Imam to provide evidence to substantiate his allegation that the commissioner directed the stoppage of his salary from the university.
When the case came up for mention, counsel to the defendant, Isa Buba, informed the court that his client had been involved in a domestic accident which resulted in a leg fracture.
Buba also challenged the sudden withdrawal of the prosecuting counsel, Ganki Hassan, from a similar case in which she had previously represented the defendant, only to later prosecute him in another court.
The defence counsel argued that confidential information had been disclosed to Hassan in the earlier case, and that her subsequent involvement in prosecuting the defendant violated professional legal practice.
However, counsel to the plaintiff, Fonga Umaru, who held brief for Ganki Hassan, urged the court to invoke Section 97 of the Criminal Justice Law to compel the defendant to appear in court to defend his claims.
Fonga argued that the defendant had not presented sufficient evidence to establish his alleged illness, describing the claim as a tactic to delay the prosecution of the matter.
Meanwhile, the trial judge, Ishaq Umar of Upper Area Court 10, adjourned the matter until October 13, 2026, for hearing.
The judge also directed the defence counsel to ensure the presence of the defendant in court on the next adjourned date.
