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Sacked CBN workers head to court, demand N30bn compensation

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Sacked CBN workers head to court, demand N30bn compensation

Disengaged staff members of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), who were laid off in a mass termination in 2023, have filed a lawsuit against the bank at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) in Abuja.

The originating summons, filed on July 4, 2024, by 33 former employees, alleges several breaches by the CBN. The claimants argue that their constitutional right to a fair hearing was violated both before and after their terminations.

In their court filings, the former employees also accuse the CBN of contravening its internal policies, Nigerian labor laws, and the terms of their employment contracts.

They are seeking a judicial review to determine whether the termination of their appointments was lawful and in line with due process.

The claimants include Stephen Gana, Kabiru Idris, Benedict Agbo, Peter Adeyemi, John Yisa, Eleanor Ihua, and others. Represented by Okwudili Abanum in a class action lawsuit, they argued that the termination process, carried out through letters titled “Reorganisational and Human Capital Restructuring” dated April 5, 2024, contravened the CBN’s human resources policies and procedures manual as well as Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution.

The claimants further asserted that the termination process lacked the mandatory consultation and fair hearing required by law.

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They described the termination letters, issued under the guise of restructuring, as arbitrary, illegal, and unconstitutional.

On these grounds, the former staff members sought an order declaring their dismissal null and void.

They also requested a restraining order to prevent the CBN from terminating their employment without adhering to proper procedures.

Additionally, the claimants demanded an immediate reinstatement of their positions, with payment of salaries and benefits from the date of termination.

They cited Article 16.4.1 of the Human Resources Policies and Procedures Manual (HRPPM), which mandates consultation with the Joint Consultative Council and adherence to fair procedures before taking employment actions that adversely affect staff.

According to the claimants, the CBN flagrantly disregarded this provision, giving them only three days to vacate their positions and hand over official property.

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The group is also seeking N30bn in general damages for psychological distress, hardship, and reputational harm caused by the dismissal, as well as an additional N500m to cover the cost of the suit.

During the first mention of the case on November 20, 2024, the presiding judge, Justice O. A. Osaghae, urged both parties to pursue an amicable resolution.

“This is a new matter, mentioned for the first time. I have reviewed the processes and believe that the parties should attempt an amicable resolution of this dispute. Consequently, parties are encouraged, pursuant to Section 20 of the NICA 2006, to seek amicable settlement,” Justice Osaghae said.

The CBN, represented by a legal team led by Inam Wilson (SAN), informed the court of a preliminary objection to the claimants’ suit filed on November 4, 2024.

The CBN’s counsel also noted that they had recently been served with the claimants’ response to the objection.

Following submissions by the defendant’s counsel, Justice Osaghae adjourned the case to January 29, 2025, for a hearing on the preliminary objection.

It should be recalled that in 2024, the apex bank terminated the appointments of approximately 1,000 staff in four batches between March and May.

Some affected staff claimed they received severance payments as low as N5,000, while others said their gratuities were entirely absorbed to offset outstanding loans.

Although the layoff was officially attributed to “reorganisation and human capital restructuring,” the affected staff argued that the process violated the CBN Act, which requires board approval for significant employment decisions.

On December 4, 2024, the apex bank stated that its early exit package was entirely voluntary and came without negative repercussions for eligible staff.

 

Sacked CBN workers head to court, demand N30bn compensation

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ICPC slams El-Rufai’s ex-aide with money laundering charges

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January 8, 2025

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ICPC slams El-Rufai’s ex-aide with money laundering charges

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has charged a former Chief of Staff to immediate past Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i, Alhaji Muhammad Bashir Saidu, with alleged money laundering at the Federal High Court.

Saidu, who was also a one-time Commissioner of Finance in El-Rufai’s administration, was charged along with Ibrahim Muktar, described as “a public officer in the employment of the Ministry of Finance”.

The charge states that the defendants are facing a two-count charge of money laundering, contrary to an earlier claim that Saidu had been found not guilty of all charges after 10 months of investigation.

The court document stated that sometime in March 2022 or thereabouts, Saidu, who was the Commissioner of Finance at the time, “did accept a cash payment of N155,000,000.00 from Ibrahim Muktar, exceeding the amount authorised by law, which sum you (Saidu) received in cash through proxy to wit: Muazu Abdu, your Special Assistant, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 2(a) and punishable under the Section 19(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022”.

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The ICPC also alleged that in the same March 2022 or thereabouts, Saidu “indirectly took control of N155,000,000.00 received in cash for and on behalf of you by Muazu Abdul from Ibrahim Muktar, which fund you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity to wit: corruption, and you hereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2)(d) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022”.

Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 states that “any person who contravenes the provisions of Subsection (2) is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of not less than four years but not more than fourteen (14) years or a fine not less than five times the value of the proceeds of the crime or both”.

The charge, which was signed by the Assistant Chief Legal Officer of ICPC, Dr. Osuobeni Ekoi Akponimisingha, was filed yesterday at the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Kaduna.

 

ICPC slams El-Rufai’s ex-aide with money laundering charges

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14-yr-old boy stabbed to death in London bus

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January 8, 2025

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14-yr-old boy stabbed to death in London bus

A 14-year-old boy was stabbed to death in broad daylight on a London bus on Tuesday in the latest knife-crime incident in the British capital, police said.

The victim was killed on one of the city’s familiar double-decker red buses in Woolwich, southeast London, police said in a statement.

Paramedics treated the boy for stab wound injuries at the scene, “but he very sadly died shortly after medics arrived,” the statement added. No arrest was immediately reported.

The incident comes after an 11-year-old girl was seriously injured in a stabbing in the busy Leicester Square area of London last August.

A 32-year-old man was later arrested.

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In September, a teenager was stabbed to death in the same area of Woolwich. Three young men have been charged and will face trial over the killing that the prosecutor described as “tit-for-tat violence with all the hallmarks of a turf war”.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called knife crime a “national crisis”.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan wrote on X on Tuesday that his “thoughts are with the family, friends and wider community in Greenwich following the appalling fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old boy.”

Matthew Pennycook, the Labour MP for Greenwich and Woolwich, said he was “deeply saddened that yet another young life has been lost in our community”.

Office for National Statistics data released in October said that knife crime in England and Wales was up four percent in the 12 months to June compared to the previous year.

It was still lower than pre-pandemic levels, however.

The Labour government, in power since July, has pledged to halve knife crime in the next decade.

A ban on some knives and machetes came into force in September and the government hopes to prohibit ninja swords.

14-yr-old boy stabbed to death in London bus

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El-Rufai, Atiku allies, Al-Mustapha in talks with SDP leaders

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January 8, 2025

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El-Rufai, Atiku allies, Al-Mustapha in talks with SDP leaders

Several prominent opposition figures convened for a closed-door meeting with officials of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Abuja on Tuesday.

Details of the meeting’s agenda remain undisclosed at the time of this report, fueling speculation about possible alliances or strategic discussions ahead of upcoming political events.

The meeting took place early on Tuesday at the national secretariat of the SDP and included former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (former Chief Security Officer to General Sani Abacha), and Otunba Segun Showunmi, a former spokesman for Atiku Abubakar, among others.

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Confirming the meeting, Showunmi shared the news on his Facebook page.

He wrote: “You must set forth at dawn! A strategic meeting was called by HE Shehu Gabam, Chairman of SDP, with HE Nasir El-Rufai, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, and Otunba Segun Showunmi. The alternative to meet, greet, and review the state of opposition democratic engagement in Nigeria.”

This development follows El-Rufai’s dismissal of reports suggesting that he had defected from the APC to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.

Responding to the rumours on his verified X account, the former Kaduna governor urged Nigerians to disregard the false reports, calling them “patent lies.” He also revealed that he had instructed his lawyers to take legal action against those spreading the misinformation.

“Please disregard the patent lies and rumours about my political affiliation. I have referred the lead peddlers of the fake news for further action by my lawyers,” El-Rufai posted on Sunday.

A close associate of the former governor, who requested anonymity, also described the claims as the work of mischief-makers, stressinig that El-Rufai, a key figure in the APC, would not have defected to the PDP without making it public.

 

El-Rufai, Atiku allies, Al-Mustapha in talks with SDP leaders

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