Ujah Of Anaguta , Attah Atten Of Ganawuri To Join As Codefendants In Gbong Gwom Jos Suit

Yakubu Busari

 

The Ujah of Anaguta, Chief Jauro Magaji,  Ataa  Aten of Ganawuri of Riyom Local Government Council of. Plateau State on  Monday, sought the leave of court to join as codefendants in a  suit filed by the Gong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba challenging Gov. Simon Lalong’s  , Attorney General of Plateau state for attempting to tamper with the stool of  Gbong Gwom Jos.

 

The two application seeking they should join as 6&7 defendants which brought two of paramount rulers seeking to join in the matter.

 

The first was the Ataa Aten, Yakubu Chaimai, who declared his intention on June 11, when the matter was first mentioned and adjourned to June 24 in his instance.

 

Gov Lalong had created two traditional councils out of the Jos Traditional Council, which did not go down well with the Berom nation, which filed a suit challenging such action.

 

Aggrieved by that action, 7 of the “illustrious sons of Berom nation”, had on May 23 dragged the state government before Justice Christine Dabup of State High Court V, challenging the Governor and the State Government.

 

The Court had on that day, May 23, issued an interim injunction stopping Lalong from tampering with the composition of the Gbong Gwom Jos Traditional Council.

 

Joined in the suit are the State Attorney General (AG), Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, chairmen of Jos North and Riyom Local Government Areas.

 

 

On the first day (June 11) the case was mentioned, Chaimai, through his Counsel, Mr. Titus Mann, announced his appearance and interest to join in the case as a co-defendant, an application which caused its adjournment.

 

The matter came up again for a hearing of the Paramount Ruler’s application, on Monday, June 24, another Paramount ruler, the Ujah of Anaguta also made his appearance and interest to join in the matter as a codefendant.

 

“My Lord, l am Mr. Samson Bukar, counsel, to the Ujah of Anaguta, Chief Jauro Magaji, who is seeking the leave of Court to be joined as a co-defender in this matter.

 

“We have already filed and served our processes with a motion on notice to join in the case,” Bukar announced.

 

Mr. Edward Pwajok, SAN, the plaintiffs’ lead counsel, had earlier told the court that the case was for hearing, of the motion filed by the Attah Atten, but “again my Lord, we have just been served here in Court with another application of yet another interested party.”

 

“The Ujah of Anaguta is seeking for the leave of this honorable court to also join as a co-defendant and we can’t shot him out.

 

“Since all the parties have been served with the processes, we shall be applying for a short adjournment to enable us to reply to the application.

 

“But before then we can take the motion of the Attah Atten since all the parties are not opposing it so that he can come in properly, “ Pwajok applied.

 

Pwajok said that they do not wish to drag the case so long, “even though this is a civil matter and hope to ensure we all we could by being prudent at filling and replying to processes filed in respect to this case.”

 

Mann then quickly moved his application and the court granted it as prayed and declared him (Attah Atten) as the 6th defendant in the suit.

 

Justice Dabup, however, adjourned the case to July 8 for hearing Ujah of Anaguta’s application for rejoinder.