Employee Institutes N210m Suit Against Citibank Over Alleged Illegal Dismissal

A N210m suit has been initiated against a new generation bank, Citibank Nigeria Limited, over the alleged illegal dismissal of its employee, Adebisi Omojola.

The legal offensive designated NICN/LA/422/2022 was filed by Omojola's counsel, Abayomi Alagbada before the Lagos Division of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) sitting in Ikoyi.

Alagbada is praying to the NICN for an order of mandatory injunction to reverse the decision made on November 25, 2022, and restore the claimant to her position as Assistant General Manager (AGM) with her salaries and other benefits fully restored.

It would be recalled that Omojola was allegedly dismissed illegally after a suit was initiated to prevent the action, pending the determination of the originating suit.

Joined in the suit is another employee of the bank, Mr. Gboyega Oloyede, who the claimant had accused of victimisation and harassment in her earlier petition to the financial institution and the court.

According to a 13 paragraphs affidavit in support, deposed to by Eucharia Patrick in the Law firm of AAGU Legal, it was claimed that the court processes commenced on November 4, 2022, and were served on the defendants/respondents.

Patrick had contended that despite the pendency of the matter, the defendants/respondents on November 25, 2022, sent her a letter via e-mail informing her of the decision of the bank to terminate her appointment with immediate effect.

In the affidavit, it was the contention of the deponent that the action is a flagrant disregard to the process of the court.

Patrick had also in the affidavit posited that the claimant is a single mother of three whose means of livelihood depends on her job and by extension her salary, adding that their survival has now been jeopardised.

Consequently, Alagbada is asking the court to compel the reversal of the decision to sack her client in the interest of justice.

Omojola was employed by the financial institution in 2013, and she had since risen to the position of an AGM, but things fell apart between her and the bank.

The crisis between Omojola and Citibank began when she came up with the allegation of her being harassed, intimidated, bullied, and an attempt to force her to quit her job.

Specifically, Omojola had expressed dissatisfaction over the alleged attitude of the second defendant, Oloyede, with a further claim that the unilateral sharing of her medical reports and other private Information is a breach of her fundamental rights to privacy as enshrined in the law and a breach of data protection law.

Omojola is seeking an order from the court directing Citibank Nigeria Limited to assign her to another Supervisor for the reason that she can no longer work with the second defendant.

She is also praying to the court for an order directing the first defendant to reinstate her or reconnect her to all its platforms, having not committed any offence or contravened the bank law in any form.

Alternatively, Omojola, aside from claiming a damage sum to the tune of N200,000,000 (Two HUNDRED million Naira) against the Defendants, is also praying the court for N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira) as cost of litigation and another order directing the payment of all her entitlement accruable to her in the Contract of Employment and Handbook for employees who are forced out by Citibank.

Specifically, trouble started between her and the bank sometime in 2016 when the Claimant had issues in her marriage, which eventually led to serious medical complications and legal issues that forced her to be away with her children in Canada.

Omojola argued that the issues with her were brought to the knowledge of the management, which gave her the support needed at that material time.

However, poor appraisal began in 2019 when she protested non-payment of 90 percent of her salary for a period she worked for, but the second defendant decided to disregard her protests for reasons known to him.

Omojola claimed that between September 17, 2019, and October 10, 2019, she had reasons to reject the discriminatory payment allegedly planned by the second defendant.

During this period, the claimant claimed that she acted as a whistleblower of unethical conduct by the second defendant.

This, she said, to work against her with the connivance of some people at the Management level.

Omojola equally claimed that her medical report was released to the HMO, which was mandated to cross-check the medical report she obtained from LASUTH.

Omojola through her counsel raised allegations of misconduct against Citibank and the top management staff of the bank and wanted redress from the Court.

Meanwhile, Omojola's counsel is claiming that the financial institution has resorted to self-help in disregard to the sanctity of the court.

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