ABU Sacked Staff Win ₦2.5 billion Legal Battle

ABU Sacked Staff Win ₦2.5 billion Legal Battle

The Court of Appeal has upheld a ₦2.5 billion judgment against Ahmadu Bello University Zaria over the dismissal of 110 workers whose jobs were terminated in 1996.

The ruling ends a long-running legal fight that began decades after the affected staff were laid off.

The appellate court agreed with an earlier decision of the National Industrial Court, which ruled that the sack was unlawful and ordered the payment of salaries and entitlements.

The judges rejected appeals filed by the university, the education ministry and the attorney general, describing them as lacking merit.

The court also directed the Central Bank of Nigeria to release the judgment sum without delay, warning that refusal would lead to sanctions against its top officials.

Justice Okon Abang ruled that the bank had no reason to withhold the funds, stating that its actions were reckless and oppressive.

In a separate ruling, the court dismissed the CBN’s appeal against a garnishee order and criticised its role in the matter.

Justice Abang said, “The conduct of the CBN in this case is reckless and condemnable to the extreme” and added that “This is man’s inhumanity to man.”

The court awarded costs against both the appellants and the apex bank in favour of the former staff.