- The National Industrial Court in Akure ordered FUOYE to pay N40 million to Professor Niyi Akingbe as compensation for wrongful dismissal, ruling that his 2018 termination based on plagiarism allegations was unlawful and procedurally flawed
- Presiding Judge, Honourable Justice K. D. Damulak, declared Akingbe's dismissal null and void due to a lack of fair hearing and absence of evidence to support the plagiarism claims
- The court found FUOYE’s disciplinary procedures against Akingbe unlawful, noting he had met all conditions for promotion to Professor, which was unfairly denied based on vague accusations
The National Industrial Court in Akure has directed the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), Ekiti State, to compensate Professor Niyi Akingbe, the former Acting Dean of the Faculty of Arts, with N40 million due to wrongful dismissal.
Court documents obtained by a Vanguard Correspondent in Ilorin indicate that the judgment in suit number NICN/AK/58/2018, dated October 29, 2024, was delivered by the Presiding Judge, Honourable Justice K.D. Damulak, in the case between the claimant, Dr Oniyide Ajisafe Akingbe, and the Federal University of Ado-Ekiti.
After nearly six years of litigation, the Industrial Court, led by Honourable Justice Damulak, ruled:
“It is hereby declared and ordered as follows: A declaration that an allegation of plagiarism against the claimant cannot be substantiated in the absence of the work/publication of a specific author or authors the claimant allegedly plagiarised, detailing the sections of the work purportedly copied, reproduced, or presented as the claimant's original work without appropriate acknowledgement.
"A declaration that the claimant’s dismissal, through a letter dated 31st October 2018, without a fair hearing, is null and void.
"The defendant is hereby ordered to pay the claimant general damages amounting to N40,000,000 (Forty million Naira) within thirty days of this judgement or the sum shall accrue 10% interest per annum. This constitutes the court’s judgement and is hereby entered."
Sources confirmed that Professor Niyi Akingbe had frequently criticised the university’s administration under former Vice-Chancellor Kayode Soremekun, who dismissed him after a plagiarism query.
The court determined that Akingbe’s 2018 dismissal was not only unjust but also rooted in baseless plagiarism accusations.
Court proceedings revealed that FUOYE did not adhere to the procedures established by the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti Act of 2015 and related regulations for senior staff service conditions. Counsel for Akingbe, Ademola Olowoyeye, contended during the trial that the plagiarism allegations were vague and lacked concrete evidence.
The court also addressed other issues, including the illegitimacy of the letters accusing Akingbe of misconduct and the unlawfulness of the Staff Disciplinary Committee that investigated the claims.
Counsel further highlighted that Akingbe met all criteria for promotion to Professor in the Department of English, and the denial of this promotion due to baseless allegations was ruled unlawful.
Court orders public notice of summons for Yahaya Bello at widely circulated newspaper, others
Meanwhile, TheRadar previously reported on the court order given to Yahaya Bello, the former governor of Kogi State, which is in connection with an alleged misappropriation of N110.4 billion. He was required to appear alongside two co-defendants, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, in court for arraignment on October 24.
Also, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) filed charges on September 24, which accused the defendants of criminal breach of trust.
Yahaya Bello in response filed a lawsuit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the Supreme Court after being declared wanted by the agency.
