Workers protest as bank, NSCDC defy court order over Warri hotel

WARRI—WORKERS at Wellington Hotel, Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area, Delta State, yesterday, protested against men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, for defying a court order to vacate the hotel they had shut down and occupied since August 27.

NSCDC had evicted staff and bemused guests to shut down the hotel at the prompting of a bank after it procured a Lagos High Court order to that effect over a contentious N2.5 billion loan it granted Joma Foods, a company owned by Chief Godspower Agbonifo, who has a stake in the hotel.

The order granted by Justice M. Yunusa was discarded penultimate Thursday by Justice Okon Abang of the same court who ordered the NSCDC to vacate the hotel immediately.

Confrontation ensued as attempts by management and workers to recover and resume business at the hotel were denied by men of the NSCDC, who barred them from entering the premises of the hotel, claiming that they were yet to get orders from their superiors to pull out.

Agbonifo, a director of the hotel,  who led the recovery move said, “We have a court order that NSCDC should vacate our office. That order was duly served on the agency last Friday at its Asaba office.” He showed a receipt signed by one Augustine Uleh, a Senior Corps Assistant, at 12.40a.m., on November 28.

He added: “Uptill now, they have not obeyed the order. The personnel here say they can’t allow us access into the premises. We wonder why the corps officials are acting above the law.”