The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Wike, has taken a firm step toward committing striking workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to prison for allegedly disobeying a National Industrial Court order that suspended their industrial action.
Wike, through his counsel Dr. Ogwu James Onoja (SAN) of Bar and Bench Chambers, Abuja, has obtained and initiated service of Form 48 – a formal “Notice of Consequence of Disobedience of Order of Court” on the workers. The notice warns that continued violation of the court’s directive will result in contempt proceedings and possible imprisonment.
The notice, dated January 29, 2026, and signed by the Registrar of the Industrial Court, Mr. Olajide Balogun, states, “Take note that unless you obey the directions contained in the order of Honourable Justice E. D Sublimi of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria delivered 27th day of January 2026, you will be guilty of the contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison.”
The underlying court order, issued by Justice Emmanuel Danjuma Sublimi on January 27, 2026, compelled FCTA workers to immediately suspend their strike pending the hearing and determination of the suit filed by the FCT Minister against them.
The judge’s ruling followed an application by Wike seeking to restrain the industrial action. In the suit, the respondents are the President and Secretary of the Joint Union Action Congress (JUAC), Rifkatu Iortyer and Abdullahi Umar Saleh.
Justice Sublimi held that industrial action, including strikes, must be suspended once a dispute is referred to the National Industrial Court. He cited Section 18(1)(e) of the Trade Disputes Act, noting that the suspension allows for proper resolution of the dispute. The judge stressed that public interest in maintaining industrial peace outweighs any inconvenience from halting the strike, and warned that non-compliance with the section may attract sanctions.
Despite service of the order, the workers reportedly resumed their strike four days later. They cited a notice of appeal filed against the ruling at the Court of Appeal. However, Wike’s legal team rejected this justification, insisting that no stay of execution has been granted.
In court papers, Onoja (SAN) asserted, “Court orders are not made in vain. They are made to be obeyed for sanity to prevail in the society.”
The FCTA workers, under JUAC, had embarked on the indefinite strike on January 19, 2026, shutting down operations across secretariats, departments, agencies, area councils, and parastatals over unmet demands from the Federal Government.
The substantive suit has been adjourned to March 25, 2026, for hearing.
