IBADAN, Nigeria — A High Court in Ibadan has issued a contempt notice warning top Oyo State Government officials that they risk imprisonment for allegedly failing to comply with existing court orders in a protracted dispute involving the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Feb. 11, 2026. The notice signals the possible commencement of contempt proceedings if the officials do not obey earlier judgments tied to the union’s suspension.

The notice, marked Form 48 — Notice of Consequences of Disobedience to Order of Court — was issued in Suit No: M/246/2020 at the High Court of Oyo State, Ibadan Judicial Division. It was specifically served on the Oyo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and the Commissioner for Public Infrastructure, Works and Transportation at the Oyo State Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.

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The 1st to 5th applicants in the suit are Alhaji Abideen Abimbola Olajide, Alhaji Lekan Aleshinloye, Alhaji Isiaka Ajetunmobi, Alhaji Kasali Lawal and the National Union of Road Transport Workers. The respondents are the Governor of Oyo State, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, and the Commissioner for Public Infrastructure, Works and Transportation.

The court warned: “TAKE NOTICE that unless you obey the directions contained in these judgments/orders, you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison.”

The notice, dated Feb. 11, 2026, and signed by the registrar, is a procedural step taken when a party is accused of disobeying a valid court judgment.

The development follows years of legal tussle between the state government and the transport union. The Oyo State Government, under Gov. Seyi Makinde, suspended the activities of the NURTW across the state May 31, 2019, citing breaches of peace and announcing a government takeover of motor parks.

The union challenged the decision at the National Industrial Court in July 2021, but the court dismissed the suit in March 2022.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, the NURTW, through its counsel, Femi Falana (SAN), approached the Court of Appeal, arguing that the state government lacked the legal authority to proscribe a trade union registered under the Trade Union Act.

The appellate court overturned the suspension, declaring the action of the Oyo State Government unlawful.

In its judgment, the court held that the state failed to establish credible evidence of violence to justify the ban, noting that allegations were made “without setting forth the acts of the appellant and concrete evidence to show the acts and conduct that can be categorised as violent.”

The court further ruled that even where security concerns exist, authorities must act within the law, stating that such issues “cannot be resolved by resort to another form of illegality by the state government going outside the lawful channel to use its whims and caprices, by suspending the activities of the appellant.”

It was not immediately clear whether the state government had taken steps to comply fully with the appellate court’s decision as of press time.