Alleged withheld entitlements: 176 retired comptrollers sue Minister, NIS, others

Former officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), who retired on the rank of Comptroller of Immigration, have sued the Minister of Interior over alleged failure to pay their withheld entitlements.

The aggrieved ex-officials, in a suit filed at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), alleged that NIS and other relevant bodies had failed to accord them their entitlements since they retired years ago.

The 176 claimants, led by Abalaka-Betty Ajuma, through their lawyer, Maroof Giwa, named the Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, as 1st defendant in the suit marked: NICN/ABJ/146/2026.

They also named the NIS CG, Kemi Nandap; NIS; the Civil Defence; Correctional, Fire and Immigration Board (CDCFIS); the CDCFIS Chairman and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, as co-defendants.

The claimants stated that by the condition of service of the NIS, published in a gazette released by the Federal Government in 2015, they were entitled to a car, domestic staff, among others, upon their retirement at the rank of Comptroller.

They, however, alleged that the entitlements had been denied since they exited service honourably years ago.

They gave the name of the gazette as: “Unified and Reviewed Conditions of Service for the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Fire, Nigeria Immigration and Nigeria Prisons Services hereinafter referred to as “Conditions of Service, 2015.”

The claimants stated that the gazette expressly provides that any officer of the NIS, who retires on the rank of Comptroller of Immigration, shall be entitled to one official car and the services of five domestic staff on various salary levels.

The retirees, who said they satisfied all conditions for the enjoyment of the retirement entitlements, stated that “it is customary and obligatory on the defendants to give out cars to retiring personnel on the rank of Comptroller of Immigration and above.”

They added that despite their retirement on the qualifying rank of Comptroller of Immigration, “the defendants have failed, refused, and neglected to provide them with the official cars or the monetary equivalents thereof.”

The claimants stated that they retired at different years, adding that upon retirement, they became immediately entitled to the benefits on retirement, stipulated in the gazetted condition of service of the NIS.

They said their decision to sue was informed by the alleged failure of the defendants to heed their demands contained in the many reminders and pre-action notices sent by their lawyers.

The claimants want the court to, among others, declare that each of them is entitled to be provided with one car as benefits on retirement under the gazetted condition of service of 2015, having retired on the rank of Comptroller of Immigration.

They also seek a declaration that the defendant’s alleged failure to provide them with the said entitlements as stipulated in the unified condition of service is unlawful, wrongful and unconstitutional.

The aggrieved retirees want the court to issue an order directing the defendants to provide them with the entitlements or N15 million each in the place of a physical car.

The case, assigned to Justice Rakiya Haastrup, had been fixed for June 23 for hearing.