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| Ngo Talatu Jang |
WITNESS
TELLS COURT THAT TALATU JANG, OTHERS CAUSED THE DEATH OF THEIR CHILDREN
By
Lovins Yakubu
Mr. Kenneth Eze, of No. 42 Alheri Zaria Road,
Jos Plateau State on Monday, told Justice Yakubu Dakwak of High Court 1, Jos
that the Former 1st Lady of Plateau State, Chief Mrs. Talatu Jang,
and three others caused the death of his daughter, Augustina Kenneth and the
children of other parents who were bread winners of their respective families
when they hired a rickety Peugeot J5 vehicle with Warn-out tires and parts to
covey them to and fro a football competition christened, “Chief Mrs Talatu
Jonah Jang Female Unity Football Competition” organized by Mrs Jang in 2018.
Kenneth, who is a witness in a matter between
him, three others as Plaintiffs and Chief Mrs. Talatu Jonah Jang and three
others as Defendants said that sometime in 2008, Rock City Queens football team was hired by Jos North Local Government
Council to represent and play for her in a female football competition organized
by the former 1st Lady adding that the participants of the
competition were drawn from all the Local Government Councils of Plateau State
with Mangu, Pankshin, Langtang, Shendam as Zone A, B, C, and D respectively as
centres for the competition.
He said that on 21st December
2008, his daughter and other members of the Rock City Queens Football team on
their way from Pankshin (their zone) for the competition, involved in a ghastly
motor accident at Dorowa village in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of
Plateau State where some members of the team died including his daughter.
Witness said that on the day of the incident,
the then Plateau State governor David Jonah Jang who was passing-by, stopped
and saw the gory sight of the burnt footballers and the pitiable and mutilated
bodies of those that survived the accident adding that the late footballers,
having been burnt beyond recognition, were given mass burial at the scene of
the accident by the Jos North Local Government Council officials the following
day.
He said that on the day of the mass burial,
Jang was represented by the then commissioner for youths and sports and that
the Jos North Local Government Council officials were also present who all
promised to honour those that died describing them as heroes and heroines of
the state and further promised to do something to assuage the pains of the
survivors of the accident and that of the parents of those who died. Witness
however told the court that over three years after the incident (death and mass
burial of the late footballers), the 1st to 3rd
Defendants refused to pay the players who survived the accident their due and
also refused to pay the parents of those that died what is due their children
for representing the 1st Defendant and participating in the
competition.
Witness further told the court that every
effort by the parents and guardians of the late footballers made to reach the
organizer of the competition, Chief Mrs. Talatu Jonah Jang, the then governor
of Plateau State and her husband, David Jonah Jang proved abortive.
He said that when it became very difficult to
see the Defendants, particularly the 1st and 2nd
Defendants, the parents, on the 28th day of October, 2009, wrote a
letter to Mrs Jang, the organizer of the football competition, requesting for
an audience with her, but the audience was never granted and the letter was not
replied.
According to the witness, “when we did not
hear from the 2nd Defendant seven (7) months after the letter was written, we contacted our lawyer E. L.
Armstrong Esq, who wrote another letter dated 13th May, 2010 to all
the Defendants including the Executive Governor of Plateau State”. However, he
said neither the Governor nor the Defendants replied the said letter even
though they acknowledged receipt of same.
The witness said that every effort made to
get the authorities concerned to show concern and do something to cushion the
effect of the suffering of the surviving footballers and the parents of those
that died proved abortive as none of them was ready to give a listening ear to
our plea stressing that not even the publications of the story in some magazines
and national newspapers such as, the African Drum magazine and guardian
newspaper dated January, 2011 and September 2nd 2010, respectively
could make the Defendants change their minds.
Witness told the court that the parents of
deceased have suffered untold hardship, psychological trauma, and mental
torture as a result of the death of their children and wards that died in the
accident adding that more traumatic is the fact that they were present when
their children and wards who were roasted in the car accident were given
unbefitting mass burial.
He said that parents of those who survived the
accident have spent their fortune financially in trying to save the lives of
their children in the hospital.
Witness said that by reason of the above, he wanted
the Court to grant their joint claim as contained in their statement of claim
before the Honourable Court.
However, during cross examination by counsel
to the defendant, Barr Gyang Zi, witness agreed not have participated in any
meeting with the defendants especially the former 1st Lady as far as
the organization of the said competition was concerned. He also agreed that the
defendant did not drive the vehicle that conveyed the players.
Recall that parents and Guardians of the
defunct Rock City Queens dragged the Jos North Local Government, Chief Mrs
Talatu Jang, Plateau state ministry of Youths and Sports Development, the
Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice Plateau state to court four years
ago asking for the sum of over Two Hundred Million Naira only being
compensation for the death of their children and wards respectively.
Counsel to the
Plaintiff, E.L Armstrong told African
Drum that while the 1st, 3rd and 4th
defendants showed high degree of commitment in the matter culminating to an
out-of court settlement, Mrs Jang, the 2nd defendant did not show
interest at all as she never appeared in court even for a day (after serving
her with notice of hearing) either by herself, her representative or counsel
throughout the years.
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