BREAKING: Court Orders FCT Workers To Suspend Strike

The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), sitting in Abuja, has ordered workers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to immediately suspend their ongoing strike.
The order followed an interlocutory injunction granted in a suit filed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the FCT Administration against the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC). The suit, marked NICN/ABJ/17/2026, was brought against JUAC’s Chairman, Rifkatu Iortyer, and Secretary, Abdullahi Umar Saleh.
The claimants sought a court order restraining the defendants and their representatives from embarking on industrial action, picketing, or any form of work stoppage.
In his ruling delivered on Tuesday, Justice E.D. Subilim held that while the case constituted a trade dispute and satisfied the necessary legal requirements, the right of workers to embark on industrial action was not absolute.
The judge ruled that once a trade dispute is referred to the National Industrial Court, workers are barred from continuing or commencing a strike. He added that any ongoing strike must cease pending the court’s final determination of the matter.
“An order of interlocutory injunction is hereby granted, restraining the defendants and their representatives from further embarking on any industrial action against the claimants. This order shall remain in force pending the determination of this suit,” Justice Subilim ruled.
The court adjourned the case to March 23, 2026, for hearing of the substantive matter.