NUC Boss, 4 Others Face Jail Over Defied Court Order

The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, and four other senior officials are set to face committal proceedings on January 13, 2026, at the National Industrial Court in Lagos over alleged contempt of court.

The other officials are the Deputy Executive Secretary, Mr Chris Maiyaki; Director of Finance, Mrs Hauwa Amos; Director of Human Resources, Mrs Victoria Omorodion; and Deputy Director of Legal Services, Mr Pascal Eruaga.

The court initiated the proceedings after serving the officials with Forms 48 and 49, following the NUC’s alleged refusal to comply with subsisting court orders.

The case stems from a July 6, 2020 judgment of the National Industrial Court, which ordered the NUC to reinstate a former staff member, Mr Kunle Rotimi, and pay all his salaries, allowances, and other entitlements from March 1996.

That decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal on June 28, 2024.

However, the court noted that the NUC had failed to obey the judgment about 18 months after the appellate ruling, describing the conduct as persistent disobedience amounting to contempt of court.

As a result, the court ruled that the commission’s principal officers risk being committed to prison until they comply with the judgment and purge themselves of the contempt.

Reacting, Rotimi said the disobedience dated back to shortly after the 2020 judgment.

He described the NUC’s application for a stay of execution as “fraudulent and invalid,” alleging it was based on perjury and forgery.

Rotimi also disclosed that he had petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, and several legal bodies, accusing the NUC’s counsel of obstructing justice through frivolous court processes.

He expressed hope that the committal proceedings would deter public officials and institutions from disobeying court orders and undermining the rule of law.