Court Orders Nigerian Immigration Service To Reinstate, Promote Yemi Badru, Pay N1m Damages

The National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Abuja Judicial Division, has nullified the disciplinary proceedings instituted against a Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) officer, Yemi Badru, ordered his immediate reinstatement and promotion, and directed the payment of ₦1 million in damages, alongside the release of his withheld salaries.

In a judgment delivered on Wednesday, Hon. Justice Buari, the Vacation Judge of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Abuja Judicial Division, ruled in favour of Badru in Suit No. NIC/ABJ/290/2026.

According to Badru, the court dismissed the disciplinary proceedings initiated against him by the Nigeria Immigration Service on January 16, 2026, on the grounds of effluxion of time.

The court also declared the disciplinary actions wrongful, unlawful, illegal, unconstitutional, null and void, and of no effect whatsoever.

Badru further disclosed that the court ruled that the representation of the defendants by their counsel was illegal and unlawful.

Meanwhile, the judge held that Kennedy Ailende Uduoji, Esq., an Immigration Service officer and legal practitioner who was not employed by the NIS as a legal officer, could not represent the defendants before the court in light of the provisions of Section 8(1) and (2) of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners.

Badru disclosed the development on Thursday, following weeks of appearing on SaharaTV, where he had spoken about his dispute with the Immigration Service.

He said the court ordered his immediate reinstatement into the NIS, promotion to the rank attained by his colleagues, payment of ₦1 million in damages, and the immediate release of his withheld salaries.

Speaking to Newsmen, Badru said: “I just won again at the court.”

He added that the court had nullified his suspension and declared the disciplinary actions taken against him by the Immigration Service illegal.

“Court also ordered that I should be paid N1m as damages. And that the withheld salaries should be released immediately.”

Background

Badru’s dispute with the Immigration Service dates back to allegations of fraudulent bank loans and the subsequent handling of the matter by his employer.

In an interview, he recounted that the crisis began in 2014 when he discovered that a loan had allegedly been taken in his name without his knowledge.

According to him, some bank officials used his personal information and the guarantor details attached to a legitimate loan to obtain another loan without his consent.

Badru said he discovered the fraud after noticing that the outstanding balance on his original loan was not reducing as expected, despite his continued repayments.

He said he repeatedly requested his bank statement before eventually obtaining it and discovering two separate loan accounts.

He subsequently reported the matter to the police and wrote to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), although he said the commission did not respond until about three years later.

Badru explained that, while investigations into the matter were ongoing, his salary account was redirected to service a loan he insisted he had never taken.

He further stated that the Immigration Service took action against him without giving him a fair opportunity to explain his side of the story.

According to him, he went for five years without receiving his salary, despite continuing to report for duty.

The officer said the prolonged financial hardship forced him to sell his properties and contributed to a period of severe personal distress. He also disclosed that he lost his wife during the difficult period.

Alleged Victimisation After Court Action

Badru said his situation worsened after he sought legal redress over the handling of the alleged loan fraud and the actions taken by the Immigration Service.

He said the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria intervened and wrote several letters to the agency seeking a fair hearing and the restoration of his salary.

According to him, the Immigration Service failed to respond satisfactorily, prompting further legal action.

Badru said that he was subsequently subjected to repeated transfers, disciplinary proceedings, and other actions that he considered punitive.

He also recounted that, in April 2019, the agency approached him for a settlement shortly before a court was expected to deliver judgment in one of the disputes.

According to Badru, the terms of settlement included the restoration of promotions he had missed, backdating his promotion to January 1, 2017, removal of disciplinary documents from his file, and assurances that his salary account would not be tampered with again.

He said the agreement was adopted by the court as a consent judgment but said that the agency failed to honour the promotion-related commitments.

Alleged Assault at Ikoyi Passport Office

Another major aspect of Badru’s dispute with the Immigration Service concerns an alleged assault at the agency’s passport office in Ikoyi, Lagos, on July 30, 2019.

Badru explained that he was punched in the face by a fellow immigration officer, identified in his account as ACI Umar Nasir Mohammed with Service No: NIS/25177, after a disagreement over the processing of applicants at the VIP section of the passport office.

Meanwhile, Umar is currently an Assistant Comptroller of Immigration in Data Processing Centre of Immigration.

He said the incident occurred while he was attending to applicants amid a shortage of passport booklets and poor network connectivity.

According to Badru, the other officer attempted to bring applicants into the queue out of turn, but he refused, insisting that established procedures should be followed.

He said that the disagreement escalated when the officer accused him of disrespect and subsequently punched him, causing him to fall against a computer system and sustain injuries.

Badru said applicants who witnessed the incident rushed to assist him and took him to medical facilities for treatment.

He further said that, after returning to inform his superiors about the incident, he was detained rather than being allowed to obtain further medical attention.

He said disciplinary proceedings were subsequently initiated against him, including allegations relating to media reports of the assault.

Badru maintained that he was the victim of the incident and should not have been punished for reporting the alleged assault to the police.

Claims of Medical and Financial Hardship

Badru also described the personal consequences of the prolonged dispute, alleging that his health deteriorated significantly and that he spent millions of naira on medical treatment.

He recounted an incident in which he collapsed while returning from work and later suffered a partial stroke, according to his account.

He said colleagues contributed money towards his medical expenses and visited him during his illness, but alleged that the Immigration Service failed to provide adequate institutional support.

Badru further said that he received queries over his absence from work even during periods when he was receiving medical treatment.

He said he continued to face disciplinary proceedings and repeated queries despite pursuing legal action against the agency.

According to him, some of the disciplinary allegations were connected to his decision to report the alleged assault to the police.

Badru argued that membership of a security agency does not deprive officers of their constitutional rights and maintained that employees should be entitled to fair hearings and protection against unlawful disciplinary measures.