The Police Command in Nasarawa State has arraigned four men before an Upper Area Court sitting in Wamba over alleged destruction of the ongoing Federal Government’s rural electrification project in Wamba Local Government Area.
Police Prosecutor, Insp Murtala Agbo, told the court on Monday in Wamba Local Government Area (LGA), that the defendants destroyed the ongoing electrification project in the boundary between Chigbu and Mama communities in Wamba council area.
Agbo gave the names of the defendants as Babale Usman, John Vicko, Àyuba Awa and Joseph Musa.
He said that the project was awarded by the federal government at the cost of N24.9 million to provide electricity for Chigbu community.
The prosecutor added that the defendants destroyed the project because the land on which it was sited was said to be in dispute between the two communities.
Counsel to the defendants, Mr Yahana Samba, however, filed a preliminary objection, praying the court to strikeout the case for abuse of court rules and contempt.
He argued that there was already a case between the two communities before the same court over the land where the project was sited.
The counsel said that the court had already directed all parties to stay away from the disputed land and wondered why the contractor began the project on the same land.
According to him, when a matter is already before a court, nobody can bring a case related to the same matter to court, hence his call that the case be struck out.
After listening to the arguments from both parties, the Presiding Judge, Timothy Akolo, adjourned the case till Dec. 8, for adoption of the application for preliminary objection.