Counsel to Kaduna-south Local Government, Chief Sir Innocent Ezengwar, told the court that though at the last sitting, there were moves by the Nigerian Breweries Plc for an out of court settlement, nothing tangible was achieved which was why the case was taken back to court.
But counsel to the Nigerian Breweries, T. Alwko-Olokun, said there has been offer and counter offer and that he has an obligation to inform his clients that the offer has been turned down before he can go proceed with the case.
He therefore asked the Chief Magistrate for an adjournment to enable him consult with his clients.
After listening to both parties, Chief Magistrate Abdulkareem Mahmud adjorned the case to June 24, 2014.
Speaking to Daily Trust after the session, the defence counsel, Alwko-Olokun, said the charges against his clients were too much, adding that in 2013, his clients paid tenement rate of N500, 000, only for them to be told that they had to pay N35 million for 2014.
Counsel to the plaintiff, on his part, said the tenement rate increased because in the past the Kaduna State government did not access businesses before quoting tenement rates, but that now, the state government has employed the services of professionals to access businesses and quote proper rates for them.
