Tina Amanda
A National Industrial Court sitting in Port Harcourt has fixed 9 November 2021 for ruling on motion for summary judgment brought before it by the Security Guards at Rivers State Model Primary Schools, against Pentagon Security Service.
Godswill Nwuke and thirteen others who are claimants in the case were staff of Pentagon Security Limited and had dragged the company to court over seven months of unpaid salaries.
During the court hearing, Counsel to the Claimants, Godspower Azuowu moved a motion for summary judgment that will allow the Judge deliver judgment without going into to full trial which was objected by the Defense Counsel, Nerry Echefu, who asked the court to dismiss the motion.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Zaynab Bashir, however, admitted audio from a recorded call conversation between the Claimants Counsel and the Managing Director of Pentagon Security Limited, Chijioke Tasie.
According to the recorded audio which was played inside the courtroom, it was revealed that the Chief Executive Director of Pentagon Security Service, was owing the Claimants some months salaries but claimed he was expecting payment from Rivers State government which delayed the payment.
In an interview with our correspondent, Tina Amanda, Counsel to the Pentagon Security Limited and the Managing Director, Nerry Echefu, said the reason he asked the court to dismiss the motion is for the substantive matter to be heard on its merit.
“They filed a motion for summary judgment so that the court will not go into full trial, I replied the motion and filed a counter-affidavit to that effect, moved it in response to their own asking the court not to grant the summary judgment, but order claimants to go into full trial.”
On his part, Claimants’ Counsel, Godspower Azuowu, maintained that the Defendants do not have Defence in the case.
“Justice has to be expedited, it is not supposed to be delayed especially where there are facts to support such. For speedy dispensation of justice, the Claimants have given me enough facts, one of the procedures for such proceedings is the summary judgment where the Defendants do not have Defence generally.”
