Court orders reinstatement of sacked NBMA director, Oamen declares demotion illegal

The National Industrial Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the immediate reinstatement of Mrs Rebecca Oine Julius Oamen as a Director in the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), declaring her demotion, removal from the agency’s payroll and stoppage of her salaries illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional.

Justice of the Abuja Judicial Division delivered the judgment in Suit No. NICN/ABJ/37/2024, filed by Oamen against the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), the National Biosafety Management Agency and another defendant.

The court directed the Federal Civil Service Commission to reinstate the claimant forthwith to her position as Director in the NBMA on CANRAISS Grade Level 15, with all the benefits attached to the office.

It also ordered the NBMA to pay Oamen the difference in her salary arising from her reduction from Grade Level 15 to Grade Level 14.

According to the judgment, the agency is to pay her N201,809.08 monthly salary differential from February 2024, when she began receiving N154,105.67 based on Grade Level 14, until the date of the judgement.

The court further declared that the removal of Oamen’s name from the NBMA payroll, the non-payment of her salaries, entitlements and emoluments as Director of Administration and Finance from December 2023, as well as her demotion and recall, were illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void.

In addition, the court issued a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from implementing the contents of the Federal Civil Service Commission’s letter dated December 12, 2023, which formed the basis of the disputed actions against the claimant.

The court also awarded N500,000 against the Federal Civil Service Commission and N300,000 against the third defendant as costs in favour of Oamen.

The court held that the claimant had proved her case in its entirety and consequently granted all the reliefs sought.

It equally dismissed the counterclaim filed by the third defendant in its entirety for lacking merit.