The National Industrial Court in Abuja has ordered that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and three others refrain from engaging in any type of industrial action or protest in the Federal Capital Territory.
Justice Emmanuel Subilim delivered the interim injunction on Monday while hearing an ex parte application brought by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the Federal Capital Territory Administration.
Along with the labor unions, those restrained include the NLC’s spokesperson, Benson Upah; the TUC’s General Secretary, Nuhu Toro; and the Chairman of the FCT NLC, Stephen Knabayi.
The application, submitted on February 2, was in response to a suit filed by James Onoja (SAN) on behalf of the FCT Minister and the FCTA under the number NICN/ABJ/30/26.
After hearing the claimants, Justice Subilim issued an interim order prohibiting the first through fifth respondents, their agents, or privies from engaging in any strike or protest until the hearing and conclusion of the move on notice.
The judge also ordered the fifth through ninth defendants, who are security services, to ensure that there is no breakdown in law and order in the nation’s capital.
According to the claims, the Chairman of the FCT Council sent a mobilization letter to members and affiliated unions for a large protest slated for February 3, which they said violated current court orders.
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They told the court that, following an interlocutory ruling issued on January 27, 2026, the order was served on the defendants on the same day that the NLC and TUC reportedly urged their affiliated unions to intensify and sustain the strike.
The claimants claimed that the directive, issued jointly by both unions, instructed striking workers to resume the strike since their counsel, Femi Falana, SAN, had filed an appeal against the interlocutory verdict.
They further stated that the Joint Unions Action Committee issued a circular urging all employees to prolong the strike, a move they claimed was intended to disrupt peace and order in Abuja.
The court deferred the case until February 10 to consider the motion on notice.
In an affidavit to support the application, the claimants stated:
“On the 19th of January, 2026, workers in the employment of the 2nd Claimant, acting under the aegis of the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC), commenced an industrial action by locking all entrances to offices and the secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, including the closure of schools and all departments and agencies of the 2nd Claimant, thereby bringing governmental functions to a standstill.”
They also stated that, in accordance with the law, they filed an action at the National Industrial Court in Abuja, in Suit No: NICN/ABJ/17/2026, between the FCT Minister and another against Rifkatu Iortyer and another, in which the court granted an interlocutory injunction on January 27, 2026, restraining the defendants, JUAC and its affiliate unions, from further industrial action and ordering them to resume work pending the outcome of the substantive suit.
The claimants alleged that despite being served with the order, “immediately after the order of the court was served, the 1st Defendant, acting through the 3rd Defendant, issued a directive titled ‘Reinforcement Directive to All Affiliate Unions in the FCT,’ urging workers to resume industrial action.”
They also stated that on January 28, 2026, the first and second defendants jointly published another directive headlined ‘Defend Your Rights With Courage and Dignity: We Are With You’, instructing workers to resume the strike and disregard the court decision.
According to the claimants, JUAC responded with a directive dated January 28, 2026, written by its Secretary, Comrade Abdullahi Umar Saleh, urging members to resume their strike.
They also claimed that, in response to these directions, the 5th Defendant, in his capacity as Chairman of the NLC’s FCT Council, issued a directive on January 31, 2026, mobilizing affiliate unions for a mass protest in Abuja at 7:00 a.m. on February 3, 2026.
The plaintiffs stated that they worried the planned protest would result in a breakdown of law and order, blockage of vehicle movement, and a violation of the rights of FCT inhabitants, including private sector workers, expats, and tourists, prompting their decision to go to court.
