FCTA strike court case: Minister Wike sues JUAC over industrial action; court grants substituted service while unions insist strike continues until demands are met

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has filed a lawsuit against the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC) over the ongoing strike by FCTA workers, as the dispute heads for a hearing on Monday.

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The industrial action, which began after a seven-day ultimatum expired, has ground operations at the FCTA Secretariat and other major government offices in Abuja.

Security agencies, including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Police Force, were deployed to restrict access to the complex.

Despite claims by FCTA management that most worker demands had been addressed, JUAC rejected the assertion, insisting that key issues remain unresolved.

Court documents, sighted on Thursday, show that the lawsuit was filed at the Abuja Division of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria under suit number NICN/ABJ/17/2026, presided over by Justice E. D. Subilim.

The FCT Minister and FCTA are the claimants, while the President and Secretary General of JUAC, Rifkatu Iortyer and Abdullahi Saleh, are the defendants in their representative capacities.

The lawsuit seeks to restrain the unions and their agents from engaging in picketing, obstruction, lockouts, or any action disrupting the operations of the FCTA, its departmental heads, or political appointees.

During the hearing, counsel for the claimants appeared in court, while the defendants were absent.

Representing the minister and the FCTA were senior lawyers including Ogwu Onoja (SAN), M.A. Ebute (SAN), George Ibrahim (SAN), K.O. Mustapha, and Esther Audu.

After reviewing submissions, Justice Subilim granted leave for substituted service of court processes on JUAC.

The judge ordered service to be effected through publication in Leadership Newspaper or any other national daily, and by pasting processes at the JUAC office at FCTA Secretariat, No. 1 Kapital Street, Area 11, Garki, Abuja. The court deemed this method of service valid and proper.

The case was adjourned to January 26, 2026, for a motion on notice.

Meanwhile, JUAC has vowed to continue the strike despite the legal challenge. In a statement issued on Thursday, the union praised workers for staying home and reaffirmed its commitment to the industrial action.

“We will not relent in the struggle nor allow agents of oppression to cow us into submission. JUAC will not succumb to any form of intimidation or harassment by any means,” the statement said.