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The National Industrial Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) to reinstate one of its senior prosecutors, Dr. Celsus Ukpong sacked in 2019.
Justice R. B. Haastrup, in a judgment on March 1, 2022 held that the ICPC ignored due process in purporting to terminate Ukpong’s employment.
Justice Haastrup held that the termination of Ukpong’s employment by the ICPC, without first issuing and serving him query and observing due process as stipulated in the ICPC’s condition of service, is unlawful.
The judge, who voided the termination, declared that under the ICPC condition of service, it is only the Management Staff Disciplinary Committee, consisting of the Chairman, members and Secretary to the commission that could investigate a management staff such as Ukpong.
“The defendant (ICPC) is hereby ordered to reinstate the claimant (Ukpong) and pay all salary arrears and allowances due to the claimant from February 2019 to the date of reinstatement,” Justice Haastrup said.
The judgment was on a suit marked: NICN/ABJ/315/2019 with which Ukpong challenged his dismissal by the ICPC via a letter dated August 9, 2019.
Ukpong, as at the time he was sacked, was on secondment, as a prosecutor, to the now defunct Special Presidential Investigative Panel (SPIP) headed by Okoi Obono-Obla.
