That’s what government lawyers are saying after a hearing in the capital city of Abuja. “They don’t seem to appreciate the enormity (of what) we believe happened in Kano,” Mariam Uwais tells the Associated Press. “They are trying to evade certain issues, but we are insisting that those issues have to be addressed and unless these issues are addressed we will not sit with them again,” she told reporters outside a court building in the capital, Abuja. “In terms of liability, they don’t seem to agree that they are liable.”

You may recall that Nigerian authorities allege that Pfizer conducted an unauthorized Trovan trial a decade ago on about 200 children at a government hospital during a triple epidemic of measles, cholera and meningitis in which 12,000 people died. The episode led to the death of 11 children and various deformities - including deafness, blindness, paralysis and brain damage - in 189 others. Pfizer denies doing anything illegal and insists government permission was granted.

In a related development, a Nigerian court today adjourned civil and criminal cases brought by the federal government against Pfizer over what appear to be technicalities. The civil and criminal cases, which are being heard separately in federal and state courts, were launched in May, although there have been no substantive hearings involving witnesses, Reuters reminds us.

The federal court adjourned the criminal case until January 28, because Pfizer has obtained an injunction stopping the government from serving criminal summons against several Pfizer execs, including former ceo Bill Steere. The government, which seeks $7 billion in damages, is appealing. The adjournment gives the Lagos court time to rule on whether Pfizer should be served criminal summons or not. The civil suit was adjourned until Dec. 3, as arguments continue over Pfizer’s effort to quash a Nigerian expert’s report. The state of Kano is seeking $2 billion, by the way.

Pfizer’s lawyer at the court, Anthony Idigbe, declined comment. A spokesman for Pfizer has not yet replied to our query. For its part, Pfizer always insisted its records show that none of the 11 deaths was linked to Trovan or substandard treatment, noting that the study showed a better survival rate for the patients on Trovan than those on the standard drug, and that mental damage and other serious disabilities are known aftereffects of meningitis, the AP writes.

UPDATE: This just in from a Pfizer spokesman (although the statement reads more like it was dictated by an assistant chief counsel): “Pfizer welcomes dialogue conducive to an appropriate resolution of its differences with the federal and Kano state governments, and remains committed to any such discussions. Unsubstantiated allegations coupled with exorbitant monetary demands, however, will impede that process.”

Authorities in Kano state have blamed the Pfizer affair for widespread suspicion of government public health policies, helping fuel a drive by local Islamic leaders who briefly halted polio vaccination efforts in northern Nigeria, causing related infections in other countries where polio had been all-but eradicated.