By Paul Sanusi
A Federal High Court, Lagos, has adjourned hearing in a suit filed by Mrs Roseline Hill and six others against Honda Automobile Western Africa Limited and two others over an alleged employment dispute till September 22, 2026.
Justice Friday Ogazi adjourned the matter new date to enable the claimants to serve all the processes in the suit on the Department of State Services (DSS).
The applicants’ fundamental rights enforcement suit is marked FHC/L/FR/239/2026, wherein Honda Automobile Western Africa Limited; its managing director, Mr. Daisuke Mita and Department Of State Services (DSS) were listed as first to third respondents.
The Claimants are seeking among others: “a declaration that the use, threatened use, of deployment of the investigative and coercive powers of the 3rd respondent (DSS) by intimidating, harassing, coercing, punishing, victimising, unlawfully arresting or unlawfully detaining the Applicants in connection with the employment-related transactions and labour dispute already pending before the National Industrial Court of Nigeria constitutes a violation of threatened violation of the Applicants’ fundamental rights guaranteed under sections 34, 35, 36, 37.41 and 46 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and Article 6 of the African Charter on Human and People’s rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
“A declaration that the 1st and 2nd Respondents are not entitled to use of procure the use of any invitation. investigation or security process as a means of compelling the Applicants to abandon, compromise, withdraw or otherwise surrender their pending labour claims, punishing them for participating in judicial proceedings or lawful trade-union activities, or intimidating, victimising, harassing or exerting undue pressure on them in respect of matters arising from their employment and substantially connected with the pending labour dispute before the National Industrial Court of Nigeria.
“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the 1st and 2nd Respondents, whether by themselves, their servants, officers, agents, privies or persons acting on their instructions, from unlawfully using the office of the 3rd Respondent in arresting. detaining, harassing, intimidating, threatening, coercing or otherwise violating the Applicants’ fundamental rights, or from using any investigative or security process as a means of recovering any alleged civil or employment-related liability, settling an employment dispute, compelling the Applicants to abandon their claims or obtaining any advantage in respect of the pending proceedings before the National Industrial Court of Nigeria.
“An order Restraining the 1st and 2nd Respondents, their agents, servants, howsoever described, from further using any other Law enforcement agencies from inviting, investigating, or arresting the Applicant until the determination of this suit.
“AN order Restraining the 3rd respondent (DSS) their agents, servants, howsoever described from further inviting, investigating, or arresting the Applicants in connection with the subject matter upon the Petition of the 1 and 2nd Respondents of the application until the determination of this suit.
At the hearing of the matter on Tuesday, the Claimants lawyer, Obafemi Oluwole, informed the court that the first and second respondents in the suit have been served except the DSS
He therefore prayed the court for a short date to enable him serve the DSS all the processes in matter.
Justice Ogazi after listening to the submissions of the lawyer, adjourned the matter to September 22, for report of service.
In the same vain, 22 employees and former staff of Honda Automobile Western Africa Limited and members of the HAWA Autobate Union have approached the Lagos division of the National Industrial Court, seeking protection against alleged unlawful dismissals and threats to involve security agencies in an ongoing labour dispute.
Both the workers and former staff of the company who are allegedly to have been summarily dismissed through their lawyer, Obafemi Oluwole, are separately praying the court for several orders against the company.
The first suit marked NICN/LA/144/2026, was instituted by 16 workers namely, Maryann Okwesa, Alegbeleve Babatunde, Ajagunna Oluwagbemi, Odetundun Iyiola, Olagunju Ayodeji, Babatunde Adewale, Ndukaku Onah, Ahmed Abawa, Olamide Ojutiku, Akanni Olufemi, Muraina Afeez, Akintunde Akinwole, Mary Uwaya, Obatola Salaudeen, Kuyoro Adebayo Pius and Ademoye Tobi, who are Executive Committee of HAWA Autobate Union, suing for themselves and on behalf of the other employees of Honda Automobile Western Africa Limited, in a suit marked
While second suit numbered NICN/LA/182/2026, was filed by six former staff of the company, Roseline Hill, Maryann Okwesa, Ajagunna Oluwagbemi, Olamide Ojutiku, Akanni Olufemi and Muraina Afeez suing for themselves and on behalf of the others summarily dismissed by the company.
The two suits are pursuant to Order 17 Rule 12 of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria Civil Procedure Rules 2017 and under the court’s inherent jurisdiction.
In the first suit, the applicants are asking the court for several orders and injunctions, which includes “an interlocutory injunction restraining the company, its management, agents and privies from deploying or inviting the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services (DSS) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to harass, intimidate, arrest or detain them over issues connected with their employment and the dispute.
“An order of the court to restrain Honda Automobile Western Africa Limited from issuing further queries, termination or summary dismissal letters against employees who remain in its employment, pending the determination of the substantive suit.
“An order of the court that both parties to maintain the status quo as it existed on May 14, 2026, when the suit was filed.”
While in the second suit six former employees of the company asks the court for the “an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the Defendant/ respondent, whether by itself, its directors, officers, managers, servants, agents, privies, or any person or authority acting on its instructions or behalf, from deploying, using, or inviting any law enforcement agency, including but not limited to the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), or any other security apparatus of the State, to harass, intimidate, threaten, arrest, invite, or detain the Claimants/Applicants or any of them, or to interfere with their personal liberty and fundamental rights, in connection with, in respect of, or arising from the ongoing labour disputes, internal restructuring/merger issues, or the operational transactions and financial disbursements carried out in the course of their employment with the Defendant/Respondent, pending the hearing and final determination of the substantive suit already before this Honorable Court.
“An order of interlocutory injunction restraining the Defendant/Respondent, its management, or assigns from implementing, executing, or giving any further effect to the purported letters of summary dismissal and termination issued to the affected Claimants/Applicants during the pendency of the representative action in Suit No: NICN/LA/144/2026, and further directing the parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum as it existed before the commencement of the retaliatory disciplinary proceedings, thereby preserving the subject matter of this litigation and the employ ment status of the Applicants pending the final adjudication of the legal and factual issues formulated fur the Court’s determination. including some who were allegedly summarily dismissed, are seeking similar protection from arrest and alleged intimidation by the company.”
According to affidavits filed in support of the applications and deposed to by the dou of Ndukaku Onah and Olufemi Akanni, the dispute arose from a proposed internal restructuring and merger between Honda Automobile Western Africa Limited and Honda Manufacturing (Nigeria) Limited.
The workers alleged that the proposed restructuring failed to adequately address issues concerning severance packages, gratuity, redundancy and preservation of employees’ seniority and contractual rights.
They claimed that after the union raised objections and commenced legal proceedings, the company issued queries to several employees over alleged financial irregularities.
The applicants alleged that disciplinary hearings were subsequently conducted on July 14 and 15, 2026, leading to the summary dismissal of some union leaders and termination of another employee.
They contended that the dismissals were retaliatory and aimed at weakening the union and discouraging other employees from pursuing the court action.
The workers also alleged that Honda’s Managing Director, Daisuke Mita, threatened to involve the DSS and EFCC over financial transactions involving corporate service providers, which they claimed had previously been authorised by management.
They maintained that the transactions were legitimate business activities and that the threat to involve law enforcement agencies was an attempt to criminalise an industrial dispute.
The applicants therefore urged the National Industrial Court to intervene urgently, arguing that continued threats of arrest or further dismissals could undermine their ability to pursue the pending litigation and cause irreparable damage to their liberty, careers and livelihoods.
However, the first and second defendants, Honda Western Africa accuses Workers of funds misappropriation
Honda Automobile in a counter-affidavit filed by its Managing Director, Daisuke Mita, has denied allegations that it victimised workers or union leaders over their opposition to the restructuring.
The company’s Managing Director, Daisuke Mita, stated that the company held more than 40 engagement meetings with affected employees and maintained that the restructuring was undertaken for legitimate business and operational reasons. Adding that the company discovered alleged financial and procedural irregularities following an internal investigation, after the employment of a management staff member was terminated.
He further stated that the affected employees were queried and given opportunities to respond before five of them were summarily dismissed for alleged breaches of company policies.
The company also denied that the dismissals were retaliatory, insisting that matters involving alleged criminal conduct had been reported to relevant law enforcement agencies for independent investigation.
Meanwhile, Justice Ikechi Gerald Nweneka has fixed October 15, for hearing of the suit.
