The Presiding Judge of the Jos Judicial Division of the National Industrial Court, Hon. Justice Ibrahim Galadima, has dismissed a case filed by Mr. Aaron and 44 other former employees against Jos Electricity Distribution Company, ruling that their claims for employment-related entitlements lacked merit.
The claimants had sought about ₦16.5 million, alleging that their employment—between 2014 and 2017—was wrongfully terminated and that the company failed to pay several benefits, including salary in lieu of notice, outstanding portions of September 2017 salary, payment for days worked in October 2017, and housing allowances.
They argued that after their disengagement, the company did not fully settle their entitlements. However, Jos Electricity Distribution admitted the employment relationship and termination but insisted that all due payments had been made, including salary in lieu of notice and other benefits, subject to statutory deductions. The company also argued that the workers did not complete clearance procedures and were not entitled to pension or gratuity due to insufficient years of service.
Counsel for the claimants, however, argued that bank statements indicated that several expected payments were missing, insisting that the company did not fully settle their entitlements.
In his judgment, Justice Galadima held that the burden of proof rested on the claimants, who failed to establish their entitlement on a balance of probabilities. The court further ruled that the ₦16.5 million claim was not properly proven or clearly broken down, and that the bank records showed multiple payments that the claimants did not adequately explain.
The court also found that there was no sufficient evidence of unpaid pension remittances. Consequently, the suit was dismissed in its entirety for lack of merit.
