Ex-NDLEA Officer Drags Agency, Chairman, Others to Court over Alleged Unlawful Dismissal

* Accuses colleagues of corrupt practices

Alex Enumah in Abuja 

A former member of staff of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr Williams Olanrewaju, has dragged the anti-drug agency and four others before the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), Abuja, over his alleged unlawful dismissal from office. 

Olanrewaju, in the suit marked: NICN/ABJ/248/2022, tied his alleged unlawful dismissal to his opposition to alleged corrupt practices of some of his colleagues at the Special Enforcement Team/Sensitive Investigative Unit (SET/SIU), Lagos, where he had worked between February 2016 and October 2019.

The suit filed on August 15, 2022, has Chairman, NDLEA, the agency, Deputy Commander General of Narcotics, Zirangey Drambi, Assistant Commander of Narcotic, Samuel Abarogu, and Assistant Commander of Narcotic, Taupyen Sunday, as the first to fifth respondents respectively.

The claimant disclosed that he joined the agency in 2011 and rose to the level of Chief Narcotic Agent (CNA), adding that were it not for alleged victimisation, he would have been promoted to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Narcotic before his summary dismissal from office.

In the suit filed by his lawyer, Mr Sunday Adaji, the claimant is asking the court to set aside the March 24, 2022, Notice of Punishment and subsequent dismissal for being unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void.

He also sought an order of court directing the NDLEA to pay him the sum of N90 million compensation as damages for the violation of his rights. 

In a 77-paragraph statement on oath, the claimant traced his ordeal to the SET/SIU Lekki office, Lagos, where he had issues with his senior officers over “their corrupt activities”.

According to him, his seniors were allegedly engaged in collecting bribes from suspects, aiding and abetting, tampering with drugs seized, ensuring the disappearance of files and refusing to arrest persons caught with hard drugs.

He claimed to be in possession of evidence, including those in his office desktop computer, laptop and devices, to prove his allegations of the corrupt practices perpetrated by the mentioned officers.

He explained that on September 24, 2019, he and other officers of the SET/SIU collected 3 kilogrammes of heroin from one drug courier at Farm City Lounge, Lekki, close to SIU office in Lekki but, he was later told “not to write anything in the report because the 3kg of heroin would be kept for evidence in future arrest”.

He said he was shocked and displeased by the action and later realised that his superior “had tampered with the 3 kilogrammes of heroin”, which ought to have been taken to the NDLEA’s “Central Exhibit for safe keeping”.

He stated that while his superiors stopped him from investigating most persons whom they have collected bribes and refused to arrestrightsprosecute, they arrested, tortured and put him under dehumanizing condition for 14 days, and without food for eight days.

Among the reliefs he sought include a declaration that his two orderly room trials that led to his punishment and subsequent dismissal were illegal, unconstitutional, null and void.

While he prayed the court to hold that his arrest and detention for 14 days out of which eight days were without food and the search on his house without an order of court violated his fundamental rights to privacy, personal liberty and dignity of his person, the claimant prayed the court to hold that he is still validly in the service of NDLEA.

He therefore urged the court for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the NDLEA and its officers from further subjecting him to inhuman and degrading treatment, as well as restoration of his monthly salary of N82,000.00k.

He also prayed the court to order the defendants to pay him a total sum of N90 million as compensation for violation of his rights to privacy, personal liberty and dignity of his person as guaranteed by section 34 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended; Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter AB (Chapter 10 LFN 1990) and Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948.