PLASU And Burden Of Criminal Litigation

BY CHAMBERLAIN ODEY
At the inception of the new administration of Professor Yohanna D. Izam as the fourth vice chancellor of the Plateau state University, Bokkos, two challenges were glaring; and others were seething. The two glaring problems receive content in courses accreditation and development of physical infrastructures in response to the University’s programmes and growth ambition. On the other hand, the sedate and seething issues include inherited liabilities, criminal litigations, and the rather bureaucratic matters of style and procedure such as continuing with certain policies and programmes, projects and contracts of the immediate past administration or not.
Whether Professor Izam has conceived or continued any projects at all may not have projected the University as much as one of the criminal litigations impending at a Magistrate Court in Jos involving some of the staff of the University, and bordering on “criminal conspiracy and threat to lives”. The matter, which hearing resumes on December 12, next week Wednesday, that is, derives from a complaint from the Security division of the Plateau state University with reference number R/CAMP/PLASU/02/VOL.1, dated June 21, 2017, and addressed to the Plateau State Commissioner of Police.
According to the documents obtained in the course of investigation, the letter of complaint from the PLASU requested the State Police Command to “investigate a case of criminal conspiracy and threat to lives reported by three senior staff of Plateau State University, Bokkos”. However, according to the Police Investigative Report on the matter to the University with reference number CR: 3000/PX/ADM/VOL10/C.S.7, the investigation and intelligence department identified the complainants as S.A. Ugamseh, Rhoda G. Fallam, and John Agam, all of the Plateau state University, Bokkos. The same report said the suspects are the quartet of Timnan Rimdap, Yakubu Atang Azi, Martha Danjuma, and Deborah Danjuma. The report also confirmed that it is a “case of criminal intimidation reported to the Police through a letter of complaint by the Acting Chief Security Officer, Plateau State University, PLASU, Bokkos, against unknown user of GSM 08135567897 for discreet investigation”.
After cursory investigation, the police was able to confirm ownership and usage of the mobile telephone lines, and even established that two of the suspects, Timnan Rimdap and Atang Azi are staff of PLASU and also members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU. Timnan Rimdap, according to findings during investigation, was acting Chairman of the senior staff association.
According to the Police report signed by ACP G A Grimah, “the phone used in sending the messages belonged to one Yakubu Atang Azi, while the sim card belonged to one Martha Danjuma”. Yakubu Atang Azi and Deborah Danjuma, the Police Report revealed further, are very close neighbours residing in Nasarawa Gwom area of Jos North local government area of Plateau State.
The Police Report concluded that “from the investigation conducted, a prima facie case of criminal conspiracy and intimidation has been established against the second and fourth suspects, namely: Mr Yakubu Atang Azi and Deborah Danjuma”. Accordingly, the Police expert recommendation contended that in the interest of the law, justice, societal orderliness, and good conscience, “the two be charged for the offences stated above”.
Forefront gathered from sources at PLASu that based on the Police report, the University proceeded to institute a case in court against Mr Yakubu Atang Azi, and Deborah Danjuma. At the internal level of the University, the University authority cleared Timnaan Rimdap of complicity and involvement in the case subsisting in court.
However, since the case started, the prosecution has been lackadaisical and lacklustre, forcing the court to adjourn unnecessarily and severally. Curiously too, Yakubu Atang Azi who is supposed to be under interdiction, implying suspension from duty, according to the institution’s rules and policy guide subject to the outcome of the prosecution, has been going about his duties at the University as if he has secured a waiver of the appropriate standing rule, or some staff are more privileged than the others.
A lot of speculations and insinuations have been making the rounds around and outside the university community especially beginning from when upon the arrest of Yakubu Atang Azi, he was immediately obtained on bail by high profile officer of the Simon Lalong administration. Since then, the trial of Azi, whole hails from the same Jos East local government area of Plateau state as the vice chancellor, Professor Yohanna D. Izam, has been proceeding like a locomotive without engine: the prosecutor, Inuwa Moven, has since developed cold feet on the matter, and failing to put up appearance whenever the matter comes up in court.
This attitude of the prosecution compelled the presiding Magistrate of the Jos Metropolitan Development Board Magistrate Court, Mrs Roseline Baraje to adjourn the matter last time to ensure that “at the end justice is done”. In adjourning the case, Mrs Baraje took note that it has become same adjournment too many, and warned that that was possibly the last adjournment, as the court may have to throw out the case at the next sitting if the prosecution continues to be unserious and shows lack of interest.
As the case comes up on Wednesday December 12, it will be seen whether the prosecution meant his action by initiating processes against the defendant in court; or whether the failure of the University authority to invoke the interdiction rule against Yakubu Atang Azi was pre-emptive and prefatory to the prosecution missing in action to obstruct, and frustrate the course of justice.