The National Industrial Court in Abuja has ordered striking workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to suspend their industrial action with immediate effect.
The order was issued on Tuesday following an interlocutory injunction filed by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the FCT Administration against the leadership of the workers’ Joint Union Action Committee.
Delivering the ruling, the presiding judge, Justice E.D. Subilim, held that although the matter constituted a legitimate trade dispute, the workers’ right to strike is not absolute. He emphasized that once a dispute is formally referred to the National Industrial Court, any ongoing industrial action must cease pending the court’s final determination.
“An order of interlocutory injunction is hereby granted, restraining the defendants and their representatives from further embarking on any industrial action,” Justice Subilim ruled. “This order shall remain in force pending the determination of this suit.”
The suit, marked NICN/ABJ/17/2026, lists the Union Chairman, Rifkatu Iortyer, and the Secretary, Abdullahi Umar Saleh, as defendants. It seeks to restrain the union and its members from engaging in any form of industrial action, picketing, or lockout.
The court adjourned hearing in the substantive suit to March 23, 2026.
