Wike moves to commit FCTA striking workers to prison over disobedience to court order

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Wike, has approached the National Industrial Court seeking an order to commit striking workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to prison over their alleged disobedience to a subsisting court order.
The move followed the decision of the workers to resume their strike action despite an order of the court issued on January 27, which directed them to suspend the industrial action pending the determination of a suit instituted against them by the FCT Minister.

To underscore his opposition to what he described as disregard for the authority of the National Industrial Court, Wike obtained Form 48, a statutory court document that outlines the consequences of disobeying a court order. The document is to be served on the striking workers.
Form 48 was procured by a legal luminary, Dr. Ogwu James Onoja, SAN, of the Bar and Bench Chambers, Abuja, on behalf of the FCT Minister, with a view to compelling compliance with the court order or risking committal to prison as prescribed by law.
The document, titled “Notice of Consequence of Disobedience of Order of Court,” is a precursor to contempt proceedings.
It states: “Take notice that unless you obey the directions contained in the order of Honourable Justice E. D. Sublimi of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria delivered on the 27th day of January, 2026, you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison.”
The notice, dated January 29, was signed by the Registrar of the National Industrial Court, Mr. Olajide Balogun.
Justice Emmanuel Danjuma Sublimi of the National Industrial Court had, on January 27, ordered the FCTA workers to suspend their industrial action pending the hearing and determination of the originating summons filed against them by the FCT Minister.
The ruling followed an application by Wike, through his counsel, Ogwu James Onoja, SAN, seeking an order compelling the striking workers to return to work.
In the suit, the Minister listed the President and Secretary of the Joint Union Action Congress (JUAC), Rifkatu Iortyer and Abdullahi Umar Saleh, as respondents.
Justice Sublimi held that industrial actions, including strikes, must be suspended once a dispute has been referred to the National Industrial Court.
Relying on Section 18(1)(e) of the Trade Disputes Act, the court noted that such suspension ensures proper resolution of disputes, stressing that strikes must cease upon the filing of an originating summons, which constitutes a formal referral.
The judge further warned that failure to comply with the provisions of Section 18 of the Act could attract sanctions, adding that the public interest in maintaining industrial peace outweighs any inconvenience occasioned by suspending the strike.
However, four days after the order was served on them, the workers were yet to comply.
While the workers justified their resumption of the strike on the basis of a notice of appeal filed at the Court of Appeal against Justice Sublimi’s ruling, Wike’s legal team dismissed the argument.
Counsel to the Minister, Onoja, SAN, maintained that in the absence of a specific order staying execution of the Industrial Court’s ruling, the workers had no legal basis to resume the strike. He advised them to obey the court order to avoid sanctions.
According to the senior lawyer, “Court orders are not made in vain; they are made to be obeyed for sanity to prevail in society.”
It would be recalled that after granting the restraining order, Justice Sublimi adjourned the substantive suit to March 25, 2026, for hearing.
The FCTA and Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) workers had commenced the industrial action on January 19, shutting down activities across Abuja over what they described as unmet demands by the Federal Government.
The strike affected all FCTA secretariats, departments, agencies, area councils and parastatals under the FCTA.