A Federal High Court in Abuja has postponed the criminal arraignment of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nandap, and a senior board official until next year. The case, which involves serious allegations of perverting the course of justice, will now be heard on March 31, 2026.
Court Proceedings and Adjournment
Justice Sinmisola Adeniyi of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) presided over the matter on Monday. The arraignment of NIS boss Kemi Nandap and the Secretary of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB), Maj-Gen Abdulmalik Jibrin (rtd), was stalled due to their absence in court.
The defendants are facing a two-count charge of conspiracy to commit a felony and perversion of justice. Although the prosecuting counsel, A.M Aduku, informed the court that the defendants had been personally served with criminal summons, the judge decided to first order a police investigation into the allegations.
The prosecution objected to this move, but Justice Adeniyi overruled the objection. She subsequently directed the police to investigate the matter and report back to the court on the adjourned date of March 31, 2026.
Roots of the Legal Battle: Badiru Oluwafemi's Ordeal
The criminal complaint was initiated by Dr. Badiru Adeyemi Oluwafemi, a serving officer of the Nigeria Immigration Service. His legal troubles began from an incident on July 30, 2019, while he was on duty at the Ikoyi Passport Office in Lagos.
Badiru alleged that a senior officer, Umar Mohammed, then a Superintendent of Immigration, instructed him to violate official protocol. Upon his refusal, citing ethical concerns, he claimed he was physically assaulted by the senior officer in front of passport applicants. The blow reportedly rendered him unconscious and caused internal injuries.
His ordeal deepened when, after securing medical attention, he was arrested, detained, and issued a query for allegedly divulging "official information" to the public after the incident was reported by The Guardian newspaper. He was later transferred from Lagos to Abuja and faced prolonged disciplinary measures.
Court Victory and Alleged Obstruction
In a previous judgment delivered on December 11, 2023, in Suit No. NICN/ABJ/136/2023, the NICN ruled in Badiru's favour. The court declared that the NIS violated Public Service Rules by prolonging his disciplinary case beyond the stipulated 60 days. The court ordered the NIS to promote Badiru to the rank of Chief Superintendent of Immigration and allow him to sit for subsequent promotion exams.
Badiru complied, sat for the 2024 promotion examination, and passed. However, when it was time to issue his promotion letter, Comptroller-General Kemi Nandap reportedly wrote to the CDCFIB. In the letter, she allegedly recommended that Badiru's promotion be withheld "until he withdraws all the court cases he instituted against Umar Nasir Mohammed and the NIS."
The core of the current criminal charge is the allegation that Nandap wrote to the board, falsely claiming that Badiru had reached an out-of-court settlement and agreed to withdraw his cases. Based on this alleged misrepresentation, Badiru's 2024 promotion result was withheld. Badiru contends this act constitutes a deliberate obstruction of justice and a violation of his constitutional right to seek legal redress.
Contempt Proceedings and Next Steps
In a related development, Justice Rakiya Haastrup of the NICN has commenced contempt proceedings against five principal staff of the NIS and CDCFIB for wilfully disobeying the court's 2023 judgment. The listed individuals include Nandap and Jibrin, among others. That proceeding has been adjourned to December 17, 2025.
Meanwhile, the court confirmed that all defendants in the perversion of justice case had been properly served. It also noted that none of them had filed any processes or objections in court regarding the criminal charges. The nation now awaits the police investigation report and the eventual arraignment on March 31, 2026.
