Some members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria barred the President of the Association, Innocent Bola-Audu, from gaining entrance into its Abuja secretariat.
Mr. Bola-Audu, with his supporters, had headed to the ASCSN office to resume duty as the National President following his recent reinstatement by an order of the court.
The National Industrial Court sitting in Abuja, on July 9, 2024, voided the purported suspension of Mr Bola-Audu and reinstated him as the authentic President of ASCSN till when his tenure is completed.
In the judgment delivered virtually,
Justice Oyewumi Oyebiola held that the suspension of Bola-Audu by the Central Working Committee of the ASCSN and his subsequent expulsion by the National Working Committee was “unlawful.
The court said that Mr. Bola-Audu ought to have been reinstated as the President of ASCSN after a High Court of Federal Capital Territory, Maitama, dismissed all criminal charges filed against him by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
“The 3rd defendant (Tommy Okon) cannot continue to act as the acting President but can return to his position as Vice President of the union.
Meanwhile, tension was high as the gate of the office complex of ASCSN was under lock and key with armed policemen and some members loyal to Tommy Okon inside.
Locked outside of the office, were a large crowd of ASCSN members loyal to Bola-Audu, heavily armed policemen too, and newsmen.
Reacting to the situation, Babatunde Adewusi, lawyer to Bola-Audu, expressed dismay at the way the police handled the chaos.
Also, speaking, the president did not hide his feelings about the way the police approached the issue.
