The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) has ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to pay ₦620,000 in costs for causing a delay in the hearing of lawsuits filed by 62 former employees challenging their dismissal from the apex bank.
Gatekeepers News reports that Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae issued the order on Thursday after counsel to the claimants, Ola Olanipekun (SAN), informed the court that the CBN’s late filing of a fresh motion had forced an avoidable adjournment.
The affected employees, whose disengagement letters dated May 23, 2024, were issued under the heading “Re-Organisation,” argue that their termination breached the CBN Act 2007 and the bank’s internal human resource policies. They are asking the court to set aside the dismissals, reinstate them, and order payment of outstanding salaries and entitlements.
Olanipekun told the court that the CBN introduced a new motion on November 26 seeking to convert the matter from an originating summons to a writ of summons on the grounds that facts were in dispute.
“It is important to say that we were served with this application this morning,” he said, insisting the motion was deliberately aimed at delaying proceedings. He requested a cost of ₦10,000 per claimant — ₦620,000 in total.
Representing the CBN, Wilson Inam (SAN) apologised, explaining that the application was filed a day earlier and served that same morning.
Justice Obaseki-Osaghae held that the late filing disrupted the scheduled proceedings.
“Cost follows event. Cost is hereby awarded in the sum of ₦620,000, and this should be paid before the next adjourned date,” she ruled.
The matter was adjourned to January 12, 2026, for hearing of pending applications.
Background: NICN President Recused Himself in 2024
The dispute dates back to December 2024 when the President of the NICN, Justice Benedict Kanyip, recused himself from the 62 cases after disclosing a conflict of interest — a member of the CBN’s legal team, Damian Dodo (SAN), is his in-law.
Both sides expressed confidence in the judicial process. Olanipekun assured the court of the claimants’ trust in its impartiality, while Obafemi Agaba of Jackson, Etti & Edu, representing the CBN, emphasised that “justice must not only be done but also be seen to be done.”
Justice Kanyip subsequently ordered that all cases be reassigned to another judge to ensure fairness. The reassignment process is now ongoing.
