NULGE Crisis: Police Arraign Man For Impersonating NULGE President, Declare Lawal Rasak Wanted

The police have also declared Comrade Lawal Rasak, said to be at large, wanted, for same offence and arraignment before the court.

The two persons, according to First Information Report CR/49/2020, signed by a Police Inspector, Mr Orji Kalu, were charged for conspiracy and inciting disturbance, contrary to Sections 97 and 114 of the Penal Code.

The information in Chief Magistrates' Court, Abuja charge sheet, accused both Njomiri and Lawal of arrogating to themselves the Chairman of NULGE and Secretary respectively, and also went ahead constituting state executives, knowing too well that there are valid and subsisting national and state executives in place.

Besides, the police said the accused embarked on this exercise when there is pending civil litigation on the matter and thereby committed an offence contrary to the above sections of the law.

Titled Conspiracy and inciting disturbance, contrary to Sections 97 and 114 of the Penal Code, the First Information Report read "That you Comrade Nankpak Miri Njomiri, male and Lawal Rasak, male now at large, sometimes in October 2019, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired to constitute yourselves as a parallel national executive of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) consequent upon which you Nankpak Miri Njomiri arrogated the position of National Chairman of the body to yourself and the position of National Secretary to Lawal Rasak, in reliance of which you also constituted parallel state executives of the body in different states of the federation, knowing full well that there is a valid and subsisting national and state executives of the body, as well as a pending civil litigation on the matter, and thereby committed an offence contrary to the above sections of the law."

While Comrade Njomiri was said to have been arrested in Owerri, Imo State from where he was brought to Abuja for arraignment, Comrade Lawal, a former general secretary of the Union, was said to have run away, thus forcing police to declare him wanted.

Meanwhile, the National Industrial Court, Owerri Division, has earlier struck out a case filed by some alleged members of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) against the national officers of the Union.

The Presiding Judge, Owerri Division Hon. Justice Ibrahim Galadima, in his judgment, declared the matter an abuse of judicial process.

According to Justice Galadima, instituting the action as representatives of the union and seeking for the same declaration with the issue that had already been laid to rest and is purportedly one of the issues raised on appeal amounts to re-litigating.
Source: Tribuneonlineng