Contempt proceedings have been initiated against Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, and the current Medical Director of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, Dr. Unaogu Ngozichukwu Nneka, over their alleged refusal to comply with a court order reinstating Prof. Monday Igwe as Medical Director.
Court documents show that a Form 48 notice(a statutory warning under Nigerian law) has been served on both officials for failing to obey a December 11, 2025 judgment of the National Industrial Court, Abuja Division (Suit No. NICN/ABJ/130/2024).
Justice E.D. Subilim had declared Prof. Igwe’s termination null and void, nullified Dr. Unaogu’s appointment, and ordered Prof. Igwe’s immediate reinstatement to complete his remaining three years and five months in office.
The court also ordered payment of salary arrears and awarded Prof. Igwe ₦3 million in damages.
Prof. Igwe was first appointed Medical Director in April 2019 for a four-year tenure and had his appointment renewed for a second term after what court documents described as satisfactory performance.
In September 2023, he was suspended following a conflict with Mr. Afam Ndu, the Acting Principal of the hospital’s School of Post Basic Psychiatric Nursing. Prof. Igwe had issued disciplinary queries against Ndu for alleged insubordination and refusal to comply with lawful instructions.
A seven-member ministerial committee investigated the allegations against Prof. Igwe and cleared him of all serious charges, recommending his reinstatement.
However, the court found that the Minister misled President Bola Tinubu with a “twisted report,” resulting in presidential approval for Prof. Igwe’s termination in violation of the Public Service Rules and Approved Disciplinary Procedure for Chief Executives of Federal Government parastatals.
The Form 48 notice warns both Dr. Salako and Dr. Unaogu that continued disobedience of the court order could result in committal for contempt of court and imprisonment.
According to the notice, as of April 14, 2026, “Dr. Unaogu Ngozichukwu Nneka has continued to perform functions of the office of Medical Director while Prof. Monday Igwe has not been reinstated to office in utter disregard to the subsisting orders of this Honourable Court which execution has not been stayed.”
The Certificate of Judgment/Ruling issued by the National Industrial Court confirms that the court found Prof. Igwe’s termination breached established procedures.
It also declared Dr. Unaogu’s appointment, made while the suit was still pending and in which she was a party, to be a nullity and an act of overreach.
This is not Dr. Unaogu’s first encounter with contempt proceedings. In 2025, she was committed to prison by an Enugu State High Court presided over by Justice E.M. Egumgbe for defying a court order in a separate case involving the same Mr. Afam Ndu.
The court had granted a perpetual injunction restraining hospital management from scrutinizing Ndu’s credentials, but Dr. Unaogu, then acting as Medical Director, allegedly constituted a senior staff committee to further investigate the matter in defiance of the order.
In a statement, public affairs analyst Comrade Honesty Ogbu accused the Minister and hospital leadership of “flagrantly refusing” to implement the court ruling months after it was delivered, despite there being no stay of execution.
“It is unsettling that individuals and institutions that should be subject to the law now appear more powerful than the law itself,” Ogbu said, calling on President Tinubu and other stakeholders to intervene and ensure those found guilty of contempt face legal consequences.
Court documents dated April 2026 indicate that enforcement processes are ongoing, with the matter remaining active before the National Industrial Court.
As of the time of this report, neither the Federal Ministry of Health nor the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, has issued an official response to the contempt allegations.
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