Court Warns Oyo Commissioners Over NURTW Ban

Court Warns Oyo Commissioners Over NURTW Ban.
Contempt notice threatened imprisonment for failure to comply.
Appeal Court earlier nullified Oyo government ban on union.

A Federal High Court in Ibadan has warned senior officials of the Oyo State Government that they risk imprisonment if they fail to comply with an earlier judgment on the ban of the National Union of Road Transport Workers.

The warning was issued in Suit No: M/246/2020 at the Ibadan Judicial Division.

Court documents showed that a contempt notice was served on the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, as well as the Commissioner for Public Infrastructure, Works and Transportation at the State Secretariat in Agodi, Ibadan.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the applicants in the matter are Alhaji Abideen Abimbola Olajide, Alhaji Lekan Aleshinloye, Alhaji Isiaka Ajetunmobi, Alhaji Kasali Lawal and the National Union of Road Transport Workers.

The respondents include the Governor of Oyo State, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, and the Commissioner for Public Infrastructure, Works and Transportation.

The notice, known as Form 48, is issued when a party is alleged to have disobeyed a valid court order. It informed the affected officials that failure to comply with the judgment could result in contempt proceedings and possible imprisonment. The document was dated February 11, 2026, and signed by the court registrar.

The dispute began on May 31, 2019, when the Oyo State Government under Governor Seyi Makinde suspended the activities of the National Union of Road Transport Workers across the state.

The government said the decision followed security concerns and incidents of unrest linked to the union. It also directed a government takeover of motor parks.

In July 2021, the union challenged the suspension at the National Industrial Court. The court dismissed the suit in March 2022.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, the union, through its counsel, Mr Femi Falana SAN, approached the Court of Appeal. The union argued that the state government lacked the authority to ban a trade union registered under the Trade Union Act.

The Court of Appeal later set aside the suspension and declared the action of the Oyo State Government unlawful. The appellate court held that the state failed to provide clear evidence of violence to justify the ban. It also ruled that even in matters of security, authorities must act within the law and follow due process.