Court stops Resident Doctors’ scheduled January 12 strike

The National Industrial Court of Nigeria, sitting in Abuja, on Friday stopped the National Association of Resident Doctors and its members from embarking on a planned strike scheduled to begin on January 12.

The order was given by Justice Emmanuel Subilim in a ruling delivered after the court considered an ex parte application filed by the Federal Government through the Attorney General of the Federation.

The court granted the request, restraining the doctors from taking any industrial action pending further proceedings in the matter.

Listed as defendants in the suit marked: NICN/ABJ/06/2026, are: NARD; its National President, Dr. Mohammad Usman Suleman, and the Secretary General of the association, Dr. Shuaibu Ibrahim.

The court held that the restraining order would remain in force until the determination of the suit which it adjourned till January 21 for hearing.

It directed the FG to serve the order on the defendants, who would be at liberty to apply to discharge or vary it within seven days after receiving the order.

The court said it took into consideration the submissions of the FG’s team of lawyers led by the Director of Civil Litigation (Federal Ministry of Justice), Mrs. Maimuna Lami Shiru, as well as the affidavit of urgency, the affidavit in support, and the annexures attached to the ex parte motion.

Specifically, Justice Subilim, held: “An interim order of injunction is hereby granted restraining the Defendants Respondents, their members, servants, agents, privies and or any other person acting on their behalf or at their directives from calling, directing, organizing, participating in or embarking upon any form of industrial action, including but not limited to strikes, work stoppages, go-slows, picketing or any other form of industrial protest or disruption; as well as taking steps preparatory to or in furtherance of any industrial action, from the 12th of January, 2026, until the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.”

The court said it was satisfied that “this is a proper case for the grant of an interim injunction.”

Recall that NARD declared it would embark on an indefinite strike due to the Federal Government’s alleged failure to implement agreed welfare demands.

The association announced its decision after an Extraordinary National Executive Council meeting it held on January 2.

NARD had suspended its 29-day strike on November 29, 2025, after FG committed to implementing its demands within four weeks, a deadline the association said passed without visible progress.

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