By peterside Rejoice
Justice Binta Fatima Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, has fixed December 8, 2025, for hearing in a suit filed by Mr. Yushau A. Shuaib against the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru.
The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, assigned the case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1329/2025, for commencement on that date.
Shuaib, publisher of PRNigeria, through his counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Yunus Abdulsalam, is seeking N1 billion in damages for alleged emotional and reputational harm, and an additional N100 million as litigation cost. He is also asking the court to set aside his withdrawal from the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 47 of NIPSS and reinstate him with full rights and privileges.
In his 40-paragraph affidavit, Shuaib claimed that his withdrawal was the result of harassment, cyberbullying, and arbitrary disciplinary actions. He said the institute queried him over two published articles one titled “NIPSS Goes Digital…” and another about Nigeria’s “Blue Economy” which he neither authored nor edited.
The plaintiff also alleged that NIPSS accessed his email without consent, violating his constitutional right to privacy under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution. He further argued that punishing him for professional opinions expressed outside the institute breached his right to freedom of expression under Section 39(1).
Shuaib said his suspension and withdrawal were based on alleged “externalisation of the subject” without giving him an opportunity to defend himself, which violated his right to fair hearing under Section 36(1).
Having paid ₦18.3 million in course fees, he maintained that excluding him from the international study tour and barring colleagues from interacting with him amounted to discrimination and harassment.
He therefore urged the court to declare his withdrawal unlawful and hold that NIPSS lacked authority to penalise him for independent publications not connected to the institute.
About Author
