Group Urges Due Process In NFIU Officers’ Dismissal

A group, Sustainable Initiative for Nurturing Growth (SING), Nigeria, yesterday called for due process on issue involving dismissal of two staff of Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit ((NFIU), Mohammed Mustapha and Fehintola Salisu.

SING, in a briefing with journalists in Abuja faulted the procedures adopted by the NFIU in the dismissal of the officers, insisting that the anti-graft agency must obey court order and reinstate them.

The National Industrial Court through Justice Rakiya Haastrup, had in a judgement declared the dismissal as “a breach of due process and violation of the rule of law” and ordered the reinstatement of the affected staff.

Echoing the judgement, the group programme manager, Obianuju Iloanya who addressed journalists said that the report of the court judgment highlighted a major contradiction in the NFIU position that the disciplinary committee found Mohammed Mustapha and Fehintola Salisu guilty of negligence, dereliction of duty, and insubordination which she said was different from the allegations leveled against them in the queries issued to them.

She added that the anti-graft agency had jettisoned the provision of the Public Service Rules (PSR) which specified that the affected staff of the unit can only be disciplined in line with rules and standards of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), with the executive director only required by law to institute such disciplinary actions.

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