The order of the National Industrial Court (NIC), Abuja, stopping the appointment of new Vice Chancellor for the Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, has been returned to the court for “proper serving”, Daily Trust learnt on Sunday in Zaria.
The registrar of the university, Malam Aliyu Kankia, said this yesterday while responding to allegations that the institution refused to obey the court restrained Prof. Armaya’u Hamisu Bichi, from parading himself as substantive VC.
President Muhammadu Buhari had approved Bichi’s appointment as VC of the university effective May, 15, 2020.
But the suspended VC of the university, Prof. Haruna Abdu Kaita, had approached the NIC to restrain the Minister of Education, the president and the Minister of Justice, their agents, servants and privies from giving effect to the appointment of the new VC.
Justice Oyebiola Oyewumi granted the order “pending the determination of the motion in the notice and adjourned the case to June 17, 2020,” the order of the court obtained by Daily Trust showed.
The registrar, when contacted, said a staff member of the university had initially received the court order, but it was later discovered that “it was addressed to Professor Bichi, hence it was returned to the court to be served to him.”
On the allegation that he disregarded the court order and continued to function as VC, Bichi, in a reply to a text message sent from our correspondent, said since the case was before a court of competent jurisdiction, it would be sub judice for him to make any comment.
