A Principal Shari’ah Court in Bauchi State on Tuesday ordered Malam Abdullahi Shira, former Senior Special Assistant to Gov. Isa Yuguda, to pay N71.5 million to one Adamu Aliyu, a printer.
The Principal Sharia Court Judge, Malam Mohammed Aliyu gave the verdict in Bauchi on Tuesday.
The court had been told that Aliyu printed 400,000 copies of books for the former governor’s aide without being paid.
The judge said that the court had no option but to issue the order since the defendant had agreed that he ordered the plaintiff to print the books.
Aliyu also ordered that the defendant should commence the payment by installments from the end of June 2014.
He said the defendant should pay the plaintiff N15 million monthly until the debt was liquidated.
Aliyu said the order was in line with order 8 Rule 10 and Order 11 Rule 21 of the Shari’ah Court Laws of Bauchi State 2013.
The judge also ordered the defendant to pay N6.5 million, being money spent by the plaintiff on various efforts to recover his money.
Earlier, Malam Abubakar Idris, counsel to the plaintiff, told the court that the defendant had, sometimes in 2012 while in the service of the State Government, ordered the defendant to print the books.
Idris said the defendant collected 200,000 copies of the books and told the plaintiff that the money would be paid by the Bauchi State Government.
He said efforts by the plaintiff, including an out of court settlement between the two parties to make the defendant to pay the money, failed.
“My client is ready to give the defendant the balance of 200,000 copies.
He urged the court to order the defendant to pay his client the money.