A lawyer, Mr Oladele Ojogbede, representing Mr Kunle Rotimi, has petitioned the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Tunji Disu, over the alleged refusal of the National Universities Commission (NUC) to comply with court judgments delivered in favour of its client, warning that the continued delay could trigger a protest capable of disrupting public order.

In separate petitions dated June 22 and June 26, 2026, the law firm of Dele Ojogbede & Co. appealed to the Attorney-General and the IGP to compel the commission to obey the judgments of the National Industrial Court and the Court of Appeal arising from Mr Rotimi’s 30-year employment dispute with the commission.

According to the lawyer, Mr Rotimi was wrongfully dismissed from the NUC in April 1996 after allegedly refusing to pay a bribe in connection with an approved master’s degree training programme at the University of Ibadan.

Following years of litigation, the National Industrial Court, in a judgment delivered on July 6, 2020, declared his dismissal wrongful and illegal, ordering the commission to pay all salaries, allowances and bonuses due to him for the period of the unlawful termination.

Dissatisfied with the decision, the NUC appealed the judgment.

However, the Court of Appeal, in its judgment of June 28, 2024, upheld the lower court’s decision and dismissed the commission’s appeal.

Ojogbede alleged that despite the concurrent judgments of both courts, the commission has failed to comply with the orders for two years, accusing it of deliberately frustrating the enforcement process.

The petition identified the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Abdullahi Ribadu, and the commission’s Deputy Director of Legal Services, Pascal Eruaga, as officials allegedly responsible for the continued non-compliance.

According to the lawyer, rather than settle the judgment debt, the commission issued two separate letters to Mr Rotimi within two days – one purportedly reinstating him to service and another immediately retiring him, without making any provision for the payment of his outstanding salaries and other entitlements as ordered by the court.

He said the development compelled his client to commence contempt proceedings against principal officers of the commission.

The lawyer further disclosed that after repeated demands for payment yielded no result, they proposed a framework for calculating his client’s entitlements in September 2024.

He, however, alleged that the NUC unilaterally arrived at a computation without disclosing the parameters used.

The disagreement prompted Mr Rotimi to file an application before the NIC in suit marked NICN/LA/53M/2020, seeking an order directing the commission to disclose the methodology used in calculating his remuneration and benefits.

The lawyer said the court, on April 20, 2026, granted the application and ordered the NUC to disclose the parameters for the computation.

He alleged that the commission has yet to comply with that order.

The petitioner accused the NUC of repeatedly disregarding valid court orders and warned that such conduct undermines the rule of law and the integrity of public institutions.

The legal team also stated that the prolonged dispute has taken a serious toll on Mr Rotimi’s health, claiming he urgently requires an eye operation abroad but has been unable to undergo the procedure because of the commission’s alleged refusal to implement the judgment.

Ojogbede further disclosed that Mr Rotimi has concluded plans to stage a peaceful protest at the NUC headquarters within 21 days, with the support of human rights organisations and student groups, unless the matter is resolved.

According to the petition to the IGP, the planned protest could degenerate into a breakdown of law and order if urgent steps are not taken to ensure compliance with the court’s judgments.

He urged the Attorney-General to invoke the powers of his office to compel the NUC to obey both the substantive judgment of July 6, 2020, and the April 20, 2026 ruling directing the commission to disclose the basis for calculating Mr Rotimi’s entitlements.

He also called on the IGP to intervene by calling the concerned officials to order, insisting that no government agency should be permitted to operate above the law.

Copies of the petitions and supporting court judgments were also forwarded to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, Lagos, as part of efforts to secure compliance with the court’s orders.