By Innocent Anaba

  OWERRI— A Customary Court, Nwangele District sitting in Imo State,  has allegedly asked a litigant, Nze Fabian Anyanwu of Umu-Ekiti, Obollo in Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of the state, to pay N5,000 to transport a former Chairman of the Court’s Panel, Mr C.  Amuzie, to hear Anyanwu’s application.

Anyanwu had brought a motion,  asking the court to stay execution of its judgment against him pending the determination of his appeal at the Customary Court of Appeal.

The Court Registrar told Vanguard that he had made several calls to the former Panel chairman to come and hear the motion, but on each occasion, Mr  Amuzie would allegedly ask whether the appellant/applicant had brought the money, with which he would pay transportation fare to hear the matter.

Amuzie delivered judgment in suit numbered CUNGI 1212002 on  22 April but he was transferred out of the district shortly after.

The Chairman has an Assignment Order to hear the ancillary matter in respect of the suit, which includes the motion for stay of execution of the court’s judgment.

The plaintiff’s  motion was slated for hearing 12 May 2010, but it was not listed for hearing.
The plaintiff was again given a 15 July date. That day, the matter was not listed for hearing. On the inquiry, he was told that unless he brought the N5,000 for transportation of the chairman, the court would not hear his application.

When the plaintiff and his counsel sought to know from the Registrar why it was not listed yet again, he kept saying in open court, “I have told the plaintiff what to do, he has not done it. He has not brought the N5, 000 I asked him to pay to transport the chairman to the court.”