By IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, yesterday, urged the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court to dismiss the suit accusing MTN Nigeria Communications Limited of tendering a doctored call log before the National Judicial Council, NJC, panel that investigated alleged unethical telephone conversations involving the suspended President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Ayo Salami.

It was the state chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Osun and Ekiti states, alongside the former governor of Osun State, Mr. Olagunsoye Oyinlola that instituted the legal action against both the telecommunications giant and the NCC.

Specifically, the plaintiffs are praying the high court to compel the 2nd defendant, NCC, to revoke the operating licence it issued to MTN on grounds that the company not only failed in its duty to be accountable and responsive, but perpetuated corruption by deliberately shielding Justice Salami from prosecution.

Besides, the plaintiffs have asked the court to award the sum of N150billion to them as damages, contending that the telecommunication firm “deliberately frustrated the work of the NJC panel by providing inadequate and incomplete call data records.”

It would be recalled that in the heat of an uncanny face-off that ensued between the erstwhile Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu and the PCA, over what transpired at the Sokoto State governorship election petition tribunal, ex-governor Oyinlola and his counterpart in Ekiti State, Segun Oni, petitioned the NJC, insisting that it was Justice Salami that ordered members of tribunals that sat in their states, to sack them from office.

In their bid to establish their allegation that the PCA negotiated their removal with opposition parties in their states, via telephone, the petitioners, tendered a call data records from a mobile phone number, 0803400887, which they said belonged to Justice Salami.

Nevertheless, sequel to denials from the embattled PCA, the probe panel invited MTN to verify the content of the evidence that was adduced before it by the petitioners, a request the firm obliged through the National Security Adviser, NSA.

However, following fresh allegation meted against it by the PDP and ex-Governor Oyinlola, MTN, in its statement of defence before the high court, dated April 5, noted that it declined to release details in some of its subscriber’s numbers owing to its duty to protect customers’ confidentiality, saying it duly notified the NJC of its professional stance.

Denying that it frustrated the work of the NJC panel or falsified Justice Salami’s call details, MTN, noted that the said doctored call log it released was on request from the Nigeria Police Force, Area G Command headquarters and not to any probe panel.

It, however, admitted that whist the probe lasted, its Senior Manager, Commercial Legal in the Corporate Service Division, Mr Rotimi Odusola, appeared before the Justice Umaru Abdullahi led NJC panel in June, 2011, and disowned the call logs attributed to Justice Salami by Chief Oni.

MTN told the court that it had on April 6, and 21, 2011, received a request from the police and another security agency, asking it to release the call records of a subscriber’s number from September 2010 to January 2011 for its investigation activities.

The communication outfit claimed that the law enforcement agencies at that time, did not “disclose the details of the matters they were investigating or identity of the owners of the lines or the person being investigated.”

Meanwhile, at the resumed sitting on the case yesterday, the NCC, informed the judge presiding over the case, Justice Bilkisu Aliyu, of its resolve to support MTN’s position on the matter.

Consequently, it applied for an extension of time to enable it to enter its statement of defence and preliminary objection against the suit, a request that was granted by the judge who yesterday fixed May 10 to commence hearing on the matter.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/04/salami-ncc-mtn-ask-court-to-dismiss-oni-pdps-suit/

Can anyone explain why there was a contrary report from Tribune on this same issue last week? In that report, it was said that MTN had verified the phone logs between Salami and the ACN party members. Is Tribune lying or what? Just wondering...

No wonder Tribune Newspaper is not neutral in this case. Should we now discredit information from Tribune on this case?

Impressive....let's see how this case progresses then...