An Enugu state high court presided over by Justice Ngozi Orji on Monday, committed the Acting Chief Medical Director of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, Dr. Ngozi Unaogu, and Head of Clinical Services, Dr. Ubochi to prison over contempt proceedings initiated by Dr. Afam Ndu, principal of the School of Basic Mental Health Nursing at the institution.
Recall that Justice Ebele Mabel Egumbge of the High Court of Enugu State had, in 2020, ruled in favor of the plaintiff, Dr. Afam Ndu in suit No. E712017, where the court awarded Dr. Ndu ₦2.5 million in damages and issued a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, including Dr. Unaogu and Dr. Ubochi, from questioning his qualifications.
However, the defendants defied the court’s injunction by constituting a committee to investigate the same qualifications against court order.
At the ruling on Monday, justice Ngozi Orji ordered that the defendants, Dr. Unaogu and Ubochi should remain at the Correctional Service until there is total obedience to the court judgment delivered on the 10 December 2021 by Hon. Justice Egumgbe which among other things, was a perpetual injunction against the Hospital management from further scrutinising the credentials of the applicant, Dr. Afam Ndu, the suspended Acting Principal of the School of Basic Psychiatric Nursing of the hospital.
Also in her ruling, the court found that both the Acting Medical Director and the Head of Clinical Services disobeyed the court order when the first contempnor, the Acting Medical Director, Dr. Ngozi Unaogu, constituted a senior staff committee headed by herself to further scrutinize the NYSC discharge certificate of Dr. Afam Ndu which according to her, was a directive emanating from the office of the Federal Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
The court in delivering the ruling, held that the Constitution of the senior staff committee by the Acting Medical Director was a fragrant disobedience to court order and therefore, committed the duo to prison and ordered that they be so detained until there is an absolute obedience to the court order contained in the judgment delivered on the 10 of December 2021 by Hon. Justice Ebele Mabel Egumgbe of Enugu State High Court.
