The incorporated trustees of Kingdom Human Rights Foundation International on Wednesday made true its threat to commence contempt suit against top officials of the Joint Health Sector Union for allegedly disobeying an order of the court directing them to suspend their ongoing strike.

A contempt suit prescribes imprisonment as penalty for disobedience to a court order.

The President of the National Industrial Court, Justice Babatunde Adejumo, had in the Abuja Division of the court on May 17, 2018, granted KFHRI’s ex parte application by ordering the principal officers and representatives of JOHESU to suspend the strike within 24 hours.

The strike which commenced on April 17, 2018, paralysing health institutions across the country is now about five weeks.

KFHRI, through its lawyer, Mr. Okere Nnadmi, had on May 18, 2018, a day after the court made the allegedly flouted order, threatened to commence a contempt suit against the union’s officials if the disobedience to the said court order continued.

In making real it’s threat, the group on Wednesday applied to the National Industrial Court in Abuja, for the issuance of Forms 86 and 87, the two notices for the commencement of contempt proceedings against alleged violators of the court order.

Both the Form 86 (notice of consequence to court order) and Form 87 (notice to show cause why the violators should not be jailed) were targeted against JOHESU’s President, Mr. Josiah Biobelemoye, and the union’s vice-president, Mr. Chimele Ogbonna, representing the entire union.

The Form 86 carried a threat of likely imprisonment against Biobelemoye and Ogbonna, should they continue to disobey the court order directing them to suspend their ongoing strike.

“Take notice that unless you obey the direction contained in this order you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison,” the court paper read in part.

The Form 87 stated that KHRFI would at about 9am on June 4 or thereafter “apply for your committal to prison for having disobeyed the court order of interim injunction of this court made on May 17, 2018…”

In this article: