Munkilama Gowon  Drags Labour Party Chairman ,Mrs Grace Zamfara To  Court

Yakubu Busari

In the Chief Magistrate Court of Plateau State, ln the Jos Judicial Division

Holden at Jos

Case No. CMC8/DCR/11/2022

Between:

Mr. GOWON Melchoir Munkilama ( The Complainant)

Against

Mrs Grace Zamfara (The Defendant)

The Complainant is the Labour Party sponsored Candidate for the seat of  Senator representing Plateau Central Senatorial Zone of Plateau State.

 The Defendant is the Labour Party Chairman Plateau State Chapter.

On Thursday the 13th day of October 2022 at about 1.40 pm the Defendant called the Complainant intimidating and threatening the Complainant to withdraw as the candidate of the Labour Party for the seat of the Senator representing Plateau Central Senatorial Zone of Plateau State for her preferred candidate or ” risk suffering like Margif”.

Putting the Complainant in serious fear of possible body harm or injury to his reputation as the Labour Party Candidate.

The Defendant is standing trial for Criminal intimidation punishable under Section 377 of the Plateau State Penal Code Law, 2017.

The case first  came up on the 22/11/2022 but the Defendant was not in court. The court bailiff sworn to an affidavit in the court to show that efforts to effect personal service of the summons on the defendant was frustrated as the defendant refused to collect the court processes.

The Complainant lawyer, A.A. Ibrahim Esq of A. A. Ibrahim & Co then applied for a substituted service of the court processes on the defendant by pasting the summons at the defendant residence at Bukuru Low-cost,Jos.

The case was adjourned to 30/11/2022 for mention.

On the 30/11/2022 the defendant was not in court and the case was further adjourned to 19/12/2022 for mention.

On Monday, the19/12/2022 the Complainant and the defendant were in court. The complaint was read to the defendant and She pleaded not guilty.

Her lawyer, C.I. Paul,Esq applied for her bail and the court granted her bail on the sum of one hundred Thousand Naira with one surety on the like sum who must be a civil service of not less than grade 14 either from the State or Federal civil service residing within the court jurisdiction to be verified by the court. With evidence of letter of last promotion and a passport photograph.

The case is now adjourned to 24/1/2023 for hearing.

The court advised parties to exploit means of settling the matter out of court before the adjourned date as members of the same political party.