The The Presiding Judge, Hon Justice Edith Agbakoba of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Abuja Division has ruled that the suspension of Mr. Moses Adaguusu, a Deputy Director and Head of the Corporate Affairs Commission, Taraba State by the Commission was illegal and unlawful.
Hon. Justice Edith Agbakoba invalidated and overturned the Suspension. The Corporate Affairs Commission and Alhaji Garba Abubakar, the Registrar-General of the Commission, were consequently ordered by the Court to make sure that the Claimant receives the immediate payment of all salaries, benefits, allowances, and entitlements due and accrued to him during the period of his unlawful suspension. While running the CAC’s Enugu Nodal Office from March to September 2021, the Deputy Director was wrongfully suspended.
The Court, therefore, ordered the CAC and Alhaji Garba Abubakar, the Registrar-General of CAC to pay N2 million naira to the Claimant as the cost of the action.
Learned Counsel to Mr. Moses Adaguusu, Barrister Terlumun Azoom from the Law Firm of Chief S. T. Hon, SAN & Co, said the judgment would go a long way in addressing abuse of Office, official impunity, vendetta, executive lawlessness, and illegalities in public offices.
The CAC under Garba Abubakar has been inundated with Court cases before superior courts of records. In October 2021 the CAC Staff Union (AUPCTRE) won another landmark case of unlawful proscription of the Staff Union by Alhaji Garba Abubakar, with N1million damages against the Commission. Rather, than comply with the decision of the President of the National Industrial Court, Hon. Justice B.B. Kanyip, Ph.D., the Registrar-General decided to appeal the decision, at the risk of industrial unrest.
Counsel to the Corporate Affairs Commission and the Registrar-General of the Commission, Mr. Francis Ogbu while reacting to the judgment said the defendants would appeal the ruling.
Mr. Moses Adaguusu, a Deputy Director and Head of the Corporate Affairs Commission, Taraba State, approached the National Industrial Court after being wrongfully suspended by the Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission.
