By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA — Supreme Court will, tomorrow, deliver judgment on an appeal that was entered before it by 15 sacked workers of Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Limited, NLNG.

A five-man panel of justices of the apex court led by Justice Walter Onnoghen, had on April 15 slated judgement on the matter for July 12, after it heard arguments from all the parties.

The plaintiffs, who were hitherto employed as security officers by the company, through their counsel, Chief Ledu Mitee, approached the court, praying it to determine whether it was proper for the defendant to summarily terminate their employment without recourse to due process.

The workers contended that the company relieved them of their duties despite the pendency of their suit.

They told the court that though the High Court of Rivers State had on December 7, 2005 ordered their immediate reinstatement, the company refused to either comply with the judgment or pay their entitlements.

The high court had issued “an order directing the first defendant, its servants and officials to pay to the plaintiffs their accrued entitlements in the sums respectively computed in favour of each plaintiff.”

However, the company through its lead counsel Sheyi Showemimo (SAN) contended that the appellants, being supernumerary Police Officers, ought to approach the Nigeria Police Force to collect their entitlements.

In its own verdict, the Port Harcourt Judicial Division of the appellate court on March 5, 2009, held that the plaintiffs were supernumerary police officers who, by virtue of the Police Act, are members of the Nigeria Police Force.

The appellate court however noted that pursuant to the provisions of section 18(4) of the Police Act, the first respondent having availed itself of the services of the appellants as supernumerary police officers has the legal duty to comply with said section of the Police Act.

Consequent upon that judgement, the plaintiffs took the case before the Supreme Court, urging it to decide whether on a proper application of the law to the evidence before the court of appeal, that the court was right when it held that they were supernumerary police officers and members of the Nigeria Police Force.