An Enugu State High Court on Monday sentenced the Medical Director of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu, Dr. Ngozi Unaogu, to the Nigeria Correctional Centre for disobeying a court order.
The Medical Director was jailed alongside the Director of Clinical Services of the hospital, Dr. Vincent Ubochi, by Justice Ngozi Oji, who ordered that they be remanded in prison until there is total obedience to the court judgment delivered on December 10, 2021 by Justice Ebele Mabel Egumgbe, reports The Guardian.
Justice Egumgbe had in her judgement, in the matter brought by a nurse and suspended Principal of the hospital’s School of Mental and Basic Psychiatric Nursing, Dr. Afam Ndu, against the contempt or, had, among other things, granted a perpetual injunction against the hospital management from further scrutinizing the credentials of the applicant, Dr. Afam Ndu, after he was cleared by the federal ministry of health of any wrongdoing.
The clearance followed the allegations of contempt alongside two other doctors, accusing the plaintiff of rape, murder, and possession of fake certificates, a development that made him approach the court in 2017 seeking redress, and damage of N20 million.
The court awarded N2.5 million cost against Dr. Unaogu, Dr. Ubochi, and two other doctors working with the hospital after proving that their allegations against Ndu amounted to defamation.
The court, among other things, ordered the defendants to retract the defamatory publication and publish the same in a National Newspaper within 30 days with effect from the day of the judgment on the case 10th December 2021.
The defendants were further restrained from publication of the defamatory allegations against the plaintiff.
The judgment was, however, challenged at the Court of Appeal, which upheld the decision of the trial court on January 24, 2024.
However, despite the court order, the Medical Director, and the Head of Clinical Services went ahead to constitute a senior staff committee headed by her to scrutinize Ndu’s NYSC discharge certificate, claiming it was a directive emanating from the office of the Federal Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
The court in delivering the judgment today, held that the constitution of the senior staff committee by the Medical Director was a flagrant disregard of the courts and, therefore, sentenced the duo to prison.
The presiding Judge, Justice Oji, also held that the two doctors should be remanded in prison custody until they purged themselves of all contempt by obeying the court order contained in the judgment delivered on December 10, 2021 by Justice Egumgbe of Enugu State High Court.
