A former deputy controller of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Kayode Odeyemi, has decried the delay by the prison authorities to obey a court judgment ordering the payment of his entitlements and compensation.
Odeyemi said despite the fact that the judgment ordering the payments was delivered in 2021 and several reminders were sent to the parties involved in the suit, nothing had been done.
“I have made several efforts this year as well. I sent letters and visited offices so they could pay me what I deserve but nothing has been done.
“I deserve better. I worked diligently during my years in service. I was the head of prisons in Ogun and Osun states at some points. I worked with seven controllers-general. I had nothing to fall back on and had been struggling since. I live through friends and kind-hearted people. My children are still in school,” the sexagenarian lamented.
In 2021, the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Abuja, ordered the Chairman of the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration, and Prison Services Board to pay N1.9m to Odeyemi as compensation after his dismissal in 2019.
The presiding judge, Justice Oyebiola Oyewumi, gave the order in the suit NICN/ABJ/02/2019 after declaring that the termination of Odeyemi’s employment was unlawful and void.
Saturday PUNCH gathered that on September 7 and November 27, 2018, the former officer received two letters stating that he had been dismissed from service for alleged misconduct.
Odeyemi then filed a General Form of Complaint on January 4, 2019, challenging the defendants: Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration, and Prison Service Board, the Minister of Interior, the Comptroller-General, Nigerian Prison Service, and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
In the suit, Odeyemi claimed that he was never accused of gross misconduct and was not invited to appear before any panel for any purpose before the dismissal.
Through his lawyers, Olusoji Toki and Joshua Afolabi, he also told the court that he continued with his job until when he was dismissed, adding that he was owed four months’ salaries amounting to N904,000 before the termination.
Among other claims, Odeyemi said he was denied promotion for 12 and half years despite passing the requirements, and when he was due for retirement on April 23, 2019, he had done all that was necessary before retirement before he was unlawfully dismissed.
In the judgment delivered on November 10, 2021, Justice Oyewumi said since Odeyemi was not queried or allowed a fair hearing, his dismissal was null and void.
Odeyemi said he wrote to the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, on the matter, adding that he was informed the case was referred to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
He claimed that the minister forwarded the file to the Controller General of the NCoS, Haliru Nababa, who directed the legal unit of the service to look into it.
After the unit reviewed the file with No NPS/LEG/5025, titled, ‘Implementation of National Industrial Court Judgment between Kayode Odeyemi, DCP, and Civil Defence, Correctional Service, Immigration and Fire Services Board’, it was reportedly sent to Nababa in April 2024.
“But Nababa has kept the file in his drawer instead of returning it to the minister, who also doubles as the chairman of the board for appropriate action,” Odeyemi stated.
The spokesperson for the Nigerian Correctional Service, Umar Abubakar, asked our correspondent to call back as he was in a meeting.
He could not be reached in subsequent calls, and messages sent to his line were not responded to as of the time of filing this report.
