The National Industrial Court sitting in Lagos has fixed a date to sentence the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abdullahi Ribadu and four other principal officers for committing criminal contempt of court.
The other four officers are Deputy Executive Secretary, Mr Chris Maiyaki; Director of Finance, Mrs Hauwa Amos; Human Resource Director, Mrs Victoria Omorodion and the Deputy Director, Legal Services, Mr Pascal Eruaga.
The five management officials had been served with judicial Form 48 and Form 49 in the last few months, during which they have been facing criminal contempt and committal proceedings, sequel to the refusal of NUC to comply with court orders of specific performance in the final judgement delivered by the Court of Appeal on June 28, 2024.
The National Industrial Court had on July 6, 2020, ordered the NUC to reinstate Mr Kunle Rotimi and pay him all his emoluments, salaries, allowances, benefits and other entitlements from March 1996 up to the date of judgment.
Owing to the alleged disobedience of NUC to the final Appeal Court judgment in the last 18 months, the court has fixed January 13, 2026, for the principal officers to be sentenced to prison until they purge themselves of the criminal contempt.
According to Rotimi, “The contempt of court by NUC dated back to 2020 after the judgment at the trial court. This is because the purported motion for stay of execution filed by NUC counsel was fraudulent and invalid as a result of perjury and forgery in their court processes.
“I had earlier sent a published petition to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Kudirat Kekere-Ekun and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), against the counsel of NUC, who has been obstructing justice by filing fraudulent and frivolous motions full of criminal misrepresentations.”
Rotimi added that, “NUC management has been wasting public funds on this matter to defend injustice and impunity, including paying legal fees to its counsel, whose professional misconduct is glaring in his fraudulent court processes already reported to lawful authorities.
“I hope that the impending committal of NUC officials will serve as a deterrent to other individuals and institutions that disrespect the rule of law and court judgment.”
-Advertisement-
Grab our latest Magazine, "Kelechi Amadi-Obi - Transcending the worlds of Law, Visual Art and Photography". Get your order fast and stress free.
For more details about Newswire Law&Events Magazine, kindly reach out to us on 08039218044, 09070309355. Email: newswiremagazine@yahoo.co.uk. You will be glad you did
Download E-MagazineDo you want to be heard, your events covered, your articles published, or need to advertise your products and services on our Blog and Magazine, reach out to us at Newswire Law and Events, you will be glad you did. For more details about our services, please call: 08039218044, 09070309355. Email: newswiremagazine@yahoo.co.uk
