Enugu Neuropsychiatric Hospital: Court Threatens Revocation Of N1 million Jail Bond Over Contempt Of Court
An Enugu High Court has threatened to revoke the N1 million Jail Bond signed by the acting Medical Director of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, Dr Ngozi Unaogu and the Director of the Clinical Services of the hospital, Dr Vincent Ubochi.
An Enugu High Court has threatened to revoke the N1 million Jail Bond signed by the acting Medical Director of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, Dr Ngozi Unaogu and the Director of the Clinical Services of the hospital, Dr Vincent Ubochi.
The court presided over by Justice Ngozi Oji, gave the warning following the absence in court of Dr Unaogu, who was convicted for contempt of same court alongside Dr Ubochi on February 10, 2025.
The case against the two principal officers of the hospital was initiated by the Principal, School of Basic Mental Health Nursing of the institution Dr Adam Ndu.
Both convicts were ordered to carry out certain directives and come back to court on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, but Dr Unaogu was absent, thus stalling further hearing of the case.
Both the Hospital's CMD, Dr. Unogu and Ubochi were sent to Correctional Centre for contempt of court, but the judge asked that they sign the Jail Bond.
Justice Ebele Mabel Egumbge of the Enugu High Court, had, in 2020, ruled in favour of the plaintiff, Dr. Afam Ndu in suit No. E712017, and also further awarded Dr. Ndu ₦2.5 million in damages. She also, issued a perpetual injunction order, restraining the defendants, including Dr. Unogu and Dr. Ubochi, from questioning his qualifications
However, the defendants defied the court’s injunction by constituting a committee to investigate the same qualifications.
However, on March 10, 2025, Justice Orji ordered that the defendants, Dr. Unogu and Ubochi should remain at the Correctional Service Centre (prison) until there is total obedience to the court judgment delivered on the 10 December 2021 by Hon. Justice Egumgbe which among other things, included a perpetual injunction against the Hospital management from further scrutinising the credentials of the applicant, Afam Ndu, the suspended Acting Principal of the School of Basic Psychiatric Nursing of the hospital.
Justice Oji convicted both the Acting Medical Director and the Head of Clinical Services for contempt of court, as the first contempnor, Dr. Ngozi Unagogu, constituted a senior staff committee headed by herself to further scrutinize the NYSC discharge certificate of Dr. Afam Ndu allegedly following a directive 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's the they be so detained until there was 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.
But, when the matter on contempt of court came up on Wednesday, the Applicants lawyer, Boniface Ugwu told the court that the CMD, Dr Unogu was sick and could not appear before the presiding judge to brief the court on how far the Hospital Management had complied with the court order even as the Director of Clinical Services, Dr Ubochi, was present in court.
However, the plaintiff's lawyer, C.D Eze noted that the excuse of illness by the 1st Applicant, Dr Ngozi Unogu was a ploy to delay her compliance to Court's order that favoured his client, Dr Afam Ndu, who was being owed 18 months salary by his employers.
After listening to both Counsel, Justice Orji threatened to revoke the N1m jail bond granted to the Hospital's CMD and the Director of Clinical Services, respectively, if they failed to appear in court during the next adjournment and adjourned the case to March 27, 2025 to allow all the parties to be present in court.
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