Nigeria’s Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed appeals by Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), upholding a ₦2.5 billion judgment in favour of 110 former ABU workers dismissed in 1996.
The appellate court ruled that both institutions must immediately comply with the payment order, faulting them for prolonging the case and ignoring valid court judgments over the years.
Okay News reports that Justice Okon Abang, who delivered the unanimous ruling, strongly criticised the CBN for frustrating the enforcement of the judgment despite holding the funds since 2018.
The court described the actions of both the bank and the university as an abuse of court process and warned that public institutions must obey court orders once affirmed on appeal.
The ruling effectively ends nearly 30 years of legal battles, reinforcing the authority of the National Industrial Court over labour matters and the obligation of government agencies to respect judicial decisions.
With no further appeal window, the judgment clears the way for the affected former workers to finally receive their long-awaited entitlements.
