Justice Rakiya Haastrup of the National Industrial Court Nigeria (NICN), Abuja Division, has given the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) seven days to pay N1.2 million as judgment debt for violating the rights of an immigration officer who was denied a promotion.

The order comes after the Immigration boss, Kemi Nandap, agreed, through her counsel, to settle the judgment debt by other means.

The agreement was made after informing the court that an attempt to pay through the official GIFMIS platform failed due to an ongoing upgrade.

Adeyemi Badiru, the officer at the centre of the case, had sued the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service and principal members of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board, seeking to commit them to prison for disobeying the court’s judgment.

Meanwhile, during the proceeding on Wednesday, counsel to the Comptroller-General of the Immigration Service, M.A. Abubakar, said that the judgment in question was issued before his client assumed office.

He told Justice Haastrup that the judgment debt had been paid and presented a payment voucher dated November 27, 2025, as proof.

Abubakar further explained that a glitch on the GIFMIS payment platform due to an ongoing upgrade made it difficult for the payment to process.

The Immigration Service, through its counsel, expressed willingness to find alternative means to settle the debt.

Counsel for the claimant, Aremiyau Aduku, agreed to this arrangement and assured that his client would refund the earlier fund transfer made on the official payment platform if credited.

Justice Haastrup subsequently ordered the NIS to make the payment within a week from this Wednesday.

The judge also ordered the counsel for the claimant to provide the bank account information for the fund transfer.

The court, thereafter, adjourned to January 21, 2026, for a compliance report for the payment of the judgment debt.

Meanwhile, the court did not address promotion of the claimant, which is the other part of the contempt case.

During the previous hearing, the Immigration Service claimed compliance with the court’s judgment before it was delivered.

The claimant’s counsel argued that the judgment is only enforceable after delivery, rejecting anticipatory compliance.

The court had previously affirmed through its judgment in suit No: NICN/ABJ/136/2023 that Adeyemi Badiru was unlawfully disciplined and denied promotions after being assaulted by a senior colleague while on an official assignment in Ikoyi Passport Office, Lagos on July 19, 2019. (The Guardian)

Update news