Appeal Court Threatens Jail for Oyo Officials Over NURTW Reinstatement Order
By Onwe Wisdom, Pan Afric Reporters
The Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan has issued a stern warning to top officials of the Oyo State Government, cautioning that they risk imprisonment if they fail to comply with its judgment reinstating the activities of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state.
The warning was conveyed through Form 48 Notice of Consequences of Disobedience to Order of Court in Appeal No. CA/IB/263/2022, which stemmed from Suit No. NICN/IB/41/2021 between the NURTW as appellant and the Governor of Oyo State alongside other government officials as respondents.
Those served with the notice include the Oyo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, as well as the Commissioner for Public Infrastructure, Works and Transportation. The court made it clear that failure to obey its directives may amount to contempt of court, punishable by committal to prison.
The appellate court’s decision followed an appeal challenging the judgment of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Ibadan Judicial Division, delivered on March 23, 2022, by Justice Opeloye A. Ogunbowale.
In its ruling delivered on September 26, 2025, a three-member panel of the appellate court held that the Oyo State Government failed to justify its suspension of the NURTW’s operations on grounds of alleged breaches of peace, law and order.
The panel, comprising Justices K. I. Amadi, F. Umaru and Biobele Abraham Georgewill, ruled in favour of the union after hearing arguments from counsel representing all parties.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, alongside Femi Adeyemo, represented the union, while the Oyo State Attorney-General, Abiodun Aikomo, led the legal team for the first to third respondents. M. A. Ojeah appeared for the Commissioner of Police, the fourth respondent.
The appellate court allowed the appeal, set aside the suspension of the union’s activities in Oyo State and nullified the earlier judgment of the lower court, entering judgment in favour of the NURTW.
Following the ruling, the Court of Appeal registrar, Omikunle Atinuke Esq., on February 10, 2026, issued the Form 48 notice formally notifying the affected state officials of the consequences of any disobedience.
“Take notice that unless you obey the directions contained in these judgments/orders, you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison,” the notice read.
The development signals a significant escalation in the protracted dispute between the Oyo State Government and the transport union, with enforcement proceedings now placing government officials at risk of contempt sanctions if they fail to comply with the court’s order.
