Pension Deduction: 71 Retired Kaduna Perm Secs, HoS Secure Garnishee Order

National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) sitting in Kaduna has granted a Garnishee order in favour of 71 retired permanent secretaries and heads of service (HoS) in Kaduna State over the deduction of the monthly pensions by the state government.

The garnishee order which is given to four banks is to the sum of N984,405,659 as at September 2022 and N100,000 cost standing to the credit of the judgement debtors/respondents and or its organs in all accounts operated within the garnishees.

This followed an ex-parte application filed on the 11th October, 2022 by counsel to the claimants/applicants Samuel Atung (SAN).

In May 2020, the plaintiffs dragged the state government to the National Industrial Court challenging the deduction of their pensions to fight the COVID-19 pandemic without their prior notice in a case instituted on the ground of pension right of the plaintiffs as enshrined under section 210 of the 1999 Constitution as amended challenging the decision of the state government on the deduction of monthly pension of the plaintiffs in the matter.

In her judgement, the trial judge, Justice Sinmisola Oluyinka Adeniyi, granted all their prayers as sought and declared that the government lacks the powers to deduct their pensions without their consent and ordered the government to pay them the difference of their pensions from March 2020 till date and continue their payments accordingly.