By Sahelian Times
A human rights lawyer in Kano, Abba Hikima, has dragged one Usman Isah, the chief security officer to Kano State director of the State Security Service, SSS, to a magistrate’s court for slander.
In a document sighted by Sahelian Times, in which the case was filed before the court on Tuesday, Abba Hikima said the officer abused him for carrying out his legitimate duty as a lawyer.
Sahelian Times gathered that the incident happened today when Mr Hikima accompanied his client who was invited by the SSS to their Sardauna Crescent office in Kano.
The document reads: “While in the said office, the defendant made the plaintiff and his client wait for over two hours, after which the Defendant directed that only the Plaintiff’s client should be allowed into the office. About an hour after the plaintiff’s client had gone into the office, the defendant directed a plain clothed person supposedly also a personnel of the DSS, to collect the plaintiff client’s documents in custody of the plaintiff.
Upon the Plaintiff’s refusal to hand over his client’s documents on the grounds that he had no idea whom he was giving such documents to, the defendant called the plaintiff on the phone and showered abusive and defamatory words on the plaintiff. Hence the plaintiff’s action against the defendant for slander and prevention from rendering his lawful professional services.”
Mr Hikima also said that the SSS officer also called him a ‘quack lawyer’ in the presence of his client, which he said lowers his estimation and goes contrary to the fact that he is a qualified legal practitioner admitted into the Nigerian Bar to practice as a solicitor and advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The lawyer therefore sought an order of the court directing the officer to render a public apology to him and pay the sum of N5million as general damages and another N500,000 as legal cost.
