Breaking: Court Orders Kogi Govt To Pay Ex-Deputy Governor Over N1bn as Details Emerge
- The Court of Appeal in Abuja reaffirmed its order directing the Kogi State government to pay ex-deputy governor Simon Achuba ₦1.07bn in outstanding entitlements
- Justice Okon Abang ruled that the appellate court’s decision is final and warned that disobeying court orders undermines the rule of law and risks anarchy
- The court sanctioned Kogi’s counsel, Adebayo Adedeji, ordering him to personally pay Achuba ₦3m for filing a frivolous application
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reaffirmed its earlier judgment directing the Kogi state government to pay Simon Achuba, a former deputy governor, ₦1.07 billion in outstanding salaries and allowances.
Delivering judgment on Tuesday, August 19, a three-man panel led by Justice Okon Abang stressed that the appellate court remained the final authority on labour-related matters.
Source: UGC
The court ruled that the state government could not escalate the case to the Supreme Court.
“The decision of this court is final. When the law says the decision of this court is final, there is nothing the applicants can do. It is as clear as daylight,” Abang declared.
Background to the dispute
Achuba, impeached in 2019, had approached the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) seeking unpaid salaries, travel allowances, and other entitlements, Vanguard reported.
The NICN ruled in his favour on November 4, 2020.
Despite the ruling being upheld by the Court of Appeal on April 29, 2024, the state government failed to comply. On April 25, 2025, the court quantified Achuba’s entitlements at ₦1,070,860,138.
Rather than pay, the government filed for a stay of execution and sought permission to approach the Supreme Court.
Court warns against executive lawlessness
Source: Getty Images
In dismissing the application, Justice Abang condemned the state’s actions as reckless and contrary to the rule of law, The Cable reported.
He said:
“My Lords, no rigmarole of any sort will save the applicants here. No manipulated legal argument will amend the provisions of Section 243(4) of the 1999 Constitution at the whims and caprices of the applicants.”
Warning against undermining the judiciary, he added:
“If the government treats court orders with levity and contempt, the confidence of the citizen in the courts will be seriously eroded, and the effect of that will be the beginning of anarchy.”
Senior counsel sanctioned
The court also sanctioned Adebayo Adedeji, counsel to the Kogi Government, for filing what it described as a frivolous application.
The court ordered him to personally pay ₦3 million to Achuba before any further legal steps can be taken.
“I expected the learned senior counsel to the applicants, notwithstanding the juicy nature of the brief, to have advised them accordingly,” Abang ruled, stressing that obedience to the Constitution should be seen as maturity, not weakness.
Court gives final judgment on Fayose vs EFCC
Previously, Legit.ng the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has discharged and acquitted Ayodele Fayose, the former governor of Ekiti state, of all the charges the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought against him in a long-standing money laundering case.
In the suit, the court upheld the no-case submission of the former governor, stating that the anti-graft agency could not establish a prima facie case against Fayose to warrant further hearing of the suit.
Source: Legit.ng
