Mallam Faces Ebuka and Justice Olusola on Judging Matters
A Lagos Gateman, Mallam Usman, is in double mess which is exactly what a Nigerian will call “double wahala” after the theft of a vehicle body parts landed him before Justice Olusola Williams of Ebuka- Obi Uchendu’s Judging Matters.
Mallam who came to Lagos State from Kano State and got a job as gateman never saw this coming the day the car parked by one of the tenants living in the compound he was meant to secure was vandalised.
According to the plaintiff Peter Fred, the owner of the car, he got back from a night club, packed his car inside the compound only to check the car the next morning to discover that the car’s brain box, bumper, full light among other parts missing.
He told the court that when he took the car for thorough check and repairs, he was given N138,000 bill, both for the replacement of the missing items and fee for workmanship.
In his explanation on Judging matters, he accepted to pay N40,000 out of the money and requested that Mallam pays the remaining with the monthly salary N10,000 he was supposed to pay him.
Poor Mallam, who had accepted his fault for not guarding the vandalised car agreed to the repayment plans and paid for five months.
But after paying, he said his brother who sells car and motor parts in Kano hinted that Fred cheated him as the cost of the stolen items and workmanship was not supposed to be more than N50,000.
So he wanted Justice Olusola to rule that he is given a refund of N45,000, while the plaintiff prayed that Mallam is restrained from harassing him because of the refund.
In her ruling on this episode of Judging Matters, Justice Olusola said since Mallam has agreed to pay and has paid, including the fact that his brother who gave him cheater price does not know how much the missing items cost in Lagos when compared to that of kano, his counterclaim was dismissed.
The plaintiff, Fred, on the other hand, got his request as Mallam was handed a restraining order from harassing him about his refund.
This is definitely one of the numerous job hazards a security guard or gateman can encounter in the course of his job, for Ebuka, the General Counsel he thinks justice was served while Fred went home smelling, but Malam thinks he just paid for coming to Lagos from far away Kano.