Crime & Court
Court Orders Total Nig. to Pay N50 Million Damages to Disengaged Employees
The National Industrial Court in Lagos has ruled that Total E & P Nigeria (formerly Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited) must pay a total sum of N50 million as aggravated damages to disengaged security employees. The employees, represented by Odah Ezekiel Ogah, Adefemi Eyitayo Moses, Ogwuche Abraham, and Charles Okwori, had accused the oil company of unfair labour practices.
Justice Elizabeth Oji, in her judgment, described Total E & P Nigeria’s actions as “callous and insensitive” for refusing to issue employment letters to the claimants during their 15 years of service, a violation of the Labour Act. The court has given Total E & P Nigeria a 30-day deadline to comply with the order, and failure to do so will incur a 20 percent interest.
The claimants, through their lawyer Ali Adah, sought a declaration that the unilateral transfer of their employment to different security companies without their consent over 15 years constitutes illegal, unlawful, and unfair labour practices.
They also demanded a declaration that Total E & P Nigeria’s refusal to issue employment letters despite repeated demands is a breach of international best practices and a violation of the Labour Act.
The defendants named alongside Total E & P Nigeria include Transworld Security System Limited, Bemil Nigeria Limited, Halogen Security Nigeria Limited, Lack Guards Security Limited, and Kings Guards Security Limited.
“A declaration that the conspiracy among the defendants to enslave, neglect or ill-treat the Claimants under a clandestine working condition for so many years for the 1st defendant without any terminal benefit entitlement paid to them is wicked, unconstitutional, illegal, unlawful, wrongful, unfair labour practice and breach of international best practices and therefore an arrogant breach of section 46 (1) of Labour Act and liable under the same section,
“A declaration that the conspiracy between the 1st and 2nd defendants to recruit the claimants to work for the 1st defendant and the sole advancement of the 1st defendant’s business interest benefit without the requisite employers permit and recruiter’s license, and from which the claimants have been subjected to ill-treatment, neglect, and psychological torture is unconstitutional, fraudulent, unfair labour practice and therefore a willful violation of sections 24 and 25 of the Labour Act and under section 47 of the same Act”.
In a legal twist, Total E & P Nigeria (formerly Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited) faced a setback as the National Industrial Court dismissed its claim that it was not the employer of disengaged security employees, shifting the responsibility to the 2nd to 6th defendants. The 2nd to 6th defendants, in turn, denied being the employers of the claimants.
Justice Oji, in her judgment, deemed the continuous refusal by Total E & P Nigeria to pay the claimants their terminal benefits after downsizing them in 2014 and 2015 as illegal, unfair labour practices, and a violation of international best practices. The court declared this action unconstitutional, null, and void.
Continuing, the court emphasised that Total E & P Nigeria failed to provide evidence demonstrating a contractual relationship with any of the 2nd to 6th defendants, thereby undermining their claim of being the employers of the disengaged security employees.
In a critical observation, the court highlighted the oil firm’s inability to substantiate its averments, thereby failing to establish itself as the employer of the claimants. As a consequence, the court handed down a verdict, awarding a substantial sum of N50,000,000.00 as aggravated damages against Total E & P Nigeria.
Justice Maryanne Anenih of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has issued a public summons for former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello to appear in court to respond to a fresh 16-count indictment.
The summons requires Bello to attend court on October 24 for his arraignment, alongside co-defendants Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu.
The public summons was ordered following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In her ruling, Justice Anenih directed the EFCC to publish the summons in a widely circulated newspaper to ensure proper notification.
Also, the court instructed the EFCC to post copies of the public summons at Bello’s last known address and in conspicuous locations within the court premises.
The EFCC has reported difficulties in serving the charges, which were filed on September 24, alleging that Bello and the two co-defendants committed a criminal breach of trust involving a staggering ₦110.4 billion.
A Police Inspector, Mohammed Bulama, attached to the Police Mobile Force (PMF) 41 in Yobe State, has been arrested for allegedly killing a 39-year-old civilian, Abdulmalik Dauda, during a confrontation in Damaturu, the state capital.
The incident, which occurred on September 29, 2024, was sparked by a heated argument between Bulama and Dauda over “uncleared transactions” in the Zango area of Damaturu. The argument escalated, leading Bulama to fatally stab Dauda in the chest.
In a statement, the Yobe State Police spokesperson, Dungus Abdulkarim, confirmed Bulama’s arrest and announced that an investigation into the homicide case had been launched.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Garba Ahmed, has ordered an immediate and thorough investigation into the incident involving Inspector Mohammed Bulama,” Abdulkarim said.
He further disclosed that the officer has been placed in custody, pending internal disciplinary action and prosecution.
CP Ahmed condemned the actions of the officer, extending his condolences to the family of the victim.
He also assured the public that justice would be served swiftly in accordance with the law.
The Lagos State Police Command has summoned three officers accused of extorting N1 million from members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the Surulere area of Lagos.
Footage of the incident, which went viral on social media late Friday, shows the officers confronting the corps members, reportedly over the absence of a physical copy of a driver’s license. The video was shared by social media user Oluyemi Fasipe, who claimed that the officers threatened the corps members with firearms and forcibly took them to the Kafaru Oluwole Tinubu House, the Area C Command of the Lagos State Police, where they allegedly extorted the sum of N1 million.
“Dear @BenHundeyin, Your officers today in Surulere extorted 1 million naira from three corps members,” Fasipe wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “They were threatened with firearms, kidnapped, and taken to the KAFARU OLUWOLE TINUBU HOUSE AREA C POLICE COMMAND of the @LagosPoliceNG where they were robbed.”
Fasipe added that the entire incident stemmed from the corps members’ inability to present a physical copy of a driver’s license, a situation he described as “evil.”
In one of the videos, the officers are seen inspecting the vehicle’s documents, with the situation escalating as additional officers arrived. One officer can be seen entering the car and demanding that the corps members stop recording the incident, while also prohibiting them from contacting their families.
In response, the spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the officers involved have been summoned, and an investigation is underway.
“The men have been summoned, and their trial has commenced,” Hundeyin wrote on X. “We urge the complainants to visit the Complaint Response Unit at the State Headquarters to testify at the ongoing trial.”
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