The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) has summoned members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Bida chapter, over contempt.
Justice Rakiya Haastrup ordered the Chairman of ASUP, Bida chapter, Dr. Mohammed Sanganuan, and the General Secretary of ASUP, Bida chapter, Comrade Yusuf Yakubu, to appear on the next adjourned date to show why they should not be committed to prison “for their disobedience to the order of this court.” The management of the Federal Polytechnic, Bida, Niger State, had filed an application for order of committal to prison of the officials following their alleged disobedience of the court’s order of April 16, 2016, which restrained them from embarking on any strike pending the hearing and determination of a motion before the court.
The Rector of the polytechnic, Abubakar Abdul Dzukogi, averred that in defiance of order of court, the officials went ahead to embark on strike on August 17, 2019, “with the adverse effect that academic activities and the overall welfare of the students of Bida polytechnic which the court sought to protect has been violated and truncated despite having the order served on them and their lawyer entering appearance on their behalf.”
Earlier, the court said it had no reason to commit the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of ASUP, Bida chapter, Chike Enyeazu, to prison for contempt as there was no action of his that was contemptuous of the court.
Also, the management of the school, through its lawyer, I.K. Okafor, had discontinued the contempt action against the ASUP, the National President of ASUP, Comrade Usman Dutse, and the General Secretary, Comrade Anderson Ezeibe, as respondents in the matter.
