The national industrial court has ordered the Kogi state government to pay Simon Achuba, former deputy governor of the state, the sum of N180 million.
In the suit marked NICN/ABJ/244/2019 filed on August 19, 2019, Achuba dragged Yahaya Bello, Kogi governor, and the state attorney-general and commissioner for justice to court over his withheld entitlements.
He had prayed the court to order the Kogi government to pay a total sum of N921,572,758 for security votes, monthly imprest, travelling allowances, outstanding memos, and statutory allocations due to his office when he was deputy governor.
In the judgment delivered on Wednesday, the court ordered the payment of N180 million to Achuba as outstanding security votes due to him from April 2018 to August 2019.
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In addition, Oyebiola Oyewunmi, the judge, ordered the Kogi state government to pay Achuba within 30 days or 30 percent interest will be paid monthly.
The court, however, dismissed the former deputy governor’s prayers, asking that the sum of N328 million and N32,000 be paid as part of imprest when he was in government.
The Kogi state house of assembly had, in October 2019, removed Achuba after the committee set up to investigate the allegations of misconduct levelled against him submitted its report.
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Edward Onoja, former chief of staff to Bello, was subsequently sworn-in as deputy governor.
But on February 27, John Olorun Femi, judge of a Kogi state high court, nullified Achuba’s impeachment.
The court held that Achuba’s impeachment violated the constitution as the report submitted to the state assembly did not indict him.
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