UI asks court to dismiss suit filed by sacked lecturer

The University of Ibadan (UI) on Wednesday asked the National Industrial Court sitting in Ibadan, to dismiss a wrongful termination of appointment suit filed Dr. Adenike Ogunshe, a former senior lecturer at the institution.

Ogunshe, a former lecturer in the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science at the University dragged the institution and its counsel to the Industrial court over wrongful termination of appointment.

The University terminated the Ogunshe’s appointment on June 14, 2016 over alleged misconduct.

Counsel to the University, Mr Adebayo Ajayi, who called a witness, Mr John Ajibola, a Principal Assistant Registrar at the institution, tendered 140 documents as an exhibit against the claimant.

In his response, Counsel to the claimant, Femi Aborisade, said he has gone through the documents tendered against his client and 20 of them were not signed and dated.

Aborisade cited Section 104 of the Evidence Act to support his argument that documents not signed and dated cannot be acted upon. He urged the court to reject the documents tendered.

News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the claimant’s counsel had told the court that due process was not followed in terminating the appointment of his client.

Aborisade stated that the termination of the appointment of his client in 2016 by the institution over alleged misconduct was wrongful, unconstitutional and a violation of her constitutional guaranteed right to justice and fair hearing.

He urged the court to set aside the purported termination and order reinstatement of his client without any loss of earning, salaries and allowances.

The claimant’s counsel also urged the court to award N8,000,000 as damages against the institution for failure to give three months notice before the termination of her appointment.

In his ruling, Justice John Peter admitted 120 out of the 140 documents tendered as exhibits. He adjourned the case till April 25 for the continuation of hearing.