When the 53-year-old Edo State-born Kabiru Ahmed joined the Federal Fire Service in 1979, his dream was to retire as a fire-fighter.
But this dream was cut short because of the indefinite suspension he got 11 years after over a trumped-up charge of stealing.
However, his innocence was confirmed by a court, which discharged and acquitted him, describing the case as lacking diligent prosecution. The court also ordered that FFS should reinstate him immediately. Curiously, his organisation has not reinstated him 20 years after.
Ahmed told PUNCH METRO that his ordeal started on August 5, 1990, when he and another firefighter, went to put out a fire on 112 Road, FESTAC Town, Lagos.
He said that on the fateful day, after they succeeded in putting out the fire, the homeowner alleged that his gold wristwatch and jewellery worth about N15,000 were stolen from a room not affected by the inferno.
He said that due to the alarm raised by the landlord, his office handed them over to the police at FESTAC town for investigation.
“We were interrogated and searched, but the police did not find anything on us. When we told the police we did not know anything about the missing items, they did not believe us. They also searched our houses, still nothing was found,” Ahmed said.
He said that despite the fact that the police did not find anything on them, they still arraigned them before an Apapa Magistrates‘ Court, Lagos in1990.
The Fire Service in a letter signed by one Mr. Oni on behalf of the Deputy Director, FFS, Lagos, on August 9, 1990, subsequently suspended Ahmed and his colleague indefinitely from service over the allegation.
The letter, with reference number P.1279/47 reads in part, “A report was received in this office that on August 5, 1990, at the scene of fire which you attended at 112 Road, I-Close, House 12, Festac Town, Lagos, you did collaborate with Alexander Ofolughe and stole one golden wrist watch and some jewellery (property of one Chief Abiola Ogundokun of the same address) from a room which was not affected by fire.
“The report further stated that as a result of the allegation, a report was made to the police by the owner of the stolen items mentioned above which led to your arrest and detention by the police.
“In the light of the above, I am directed to inform you that you are hereby suspended from duty indefinitely without pay pending the outcome of the police investigation and indeed the departmental disciplinary committee‘s findings.”
But their innocence was confirmed in 1994, when the matter was discharged for lack of diligent prosecution.
He said that after they were discharged and acquitted, the Fire Service still refused to reinstate them until the other man died.
Worried by the situation himself, he allegedly developed paralysis and brain disorder, which led to his treatment at a traditional clinic at Ilaje, Ondo State, for 15 years.
He lamented that during the period, the organisation did not reinstate him let alone paid him any entitlements.
“It was such a traumatic experience. My wife suddenly became a breadwinner for the family and things had been so rough as her source of income was small to take care of all of us,” the father of seven lamented.
He said that by the time he was healed of his ailment about three years ago, he resumed his struggle for reinstatement and payment of his entitlements, but his organisation had been dribbling him since then.
He said that his lawyers, Afolabi Banjoko and Muyiwa Latunde-Dada; had written series of letters to his employers for reinstatement and payment of outstanding entitlements but without any success.
Ahmed told PUNCH METRO that he had visited his organisation‘s headquarters in Abuja more than 12 times, but the story was still the same.
He said when all the entreaties by his lawyers to his employers failed he took his problem to the Nigeria Labour Congress.
In a letter by the NLC, Lagos State Council, to the Minister of Interior, Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho on September 13, 2010, and signed by the State Secretary, Bello Ismail and Vice-Chairman, Tokonbo Korodo, the congress said it was regrettable that an agency of the Federal Government would disregard a valid court judgment absolving Ahmed of the allegation of theft.
“It is not only unlawful and unfair, but grossly inhuman to have suspended Ahmed on allegation of theft whilst on duty and yet refused to return him to his duty once the court had discharged him for want of diligent prosecution,” the congress said.
Consequently, the NLC demanded that Ahmed‘s salaries should be computed from August 9, 1990 when he was suspended till date and the same be paid to him. It also urged the minister to wade in the matter to ensure that the right of Ahmed was not violated with impunity.
Korodo told PUNCH METRO that after writing to the minister officially without response, he personally followed Ahmed to his office where the minister told him he did not receive the letter.
Korodo said, “When we met the minister one on one, he claimed ignorance of the letter. He said it had not been brought to his notice. I then brought an acknowledged copy of the letter to his notice. He felt disturbed and pleaded with us that he would step in.
“In my presence, he called the officer in charge of Ahmed‘s department, but he said he was not in Abuja . When I phoned the minister in February 2011, he told me that the matter was still being handled.”
Efforts to speak with the Controller-General, Fire Service, Mr. Olusegun Okebiorun, were unsuccessful as he did not respond to text messages sent to him. Also, he did not pick several calls made to his line.
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