More than 60 former employees of Premium Pension Limited have filed a lawsuit at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria in Abuja, challenging their dismissal and alleging the company’s failure to pay their gratuities, exit packages, and other entitlements.
The claimants, led by Ibrahim Raji, Emmanuel Folorunsho, Mustapha Sulaiman, and Muhammed Ibrahim, are suing on behalf of themselves and 60 other former staff. They described their disengagement as unlawful, arbitrary, and carried out “with malice and bad faith,” arguing that Premium Pension failed to provide reasons for the terminations and has not settled their benefits despite repeated requests.
The former employees are seeking eight declaratory orders and nine monetary claims. They want the court to affirm that valid employment contracts existed until their dismissal and declare the terminations wrongful, illegal, and without proper notice or payment in lieu of notice. They are also demanding the payment of three months’ salary as stated in their disengagement letters, their exit and gratuity packages previously approved by the company’s board, and other entitlements without deductions for alleged liabilities.
According to the claimants, their disengagement letters, dated August 4, 2025, were backdated to July 29, 2025, with effect from August 1, 2025. They noted that they had resumed work in August and were therefore entitled to the annual education subsidy. They accused the company of backdating the letters deliberately to deny them earned benefits.
The former staff also claimed that Premium Pension refused to pay profit shares, performance, and productivity bonuses, despite prior payments to other departing staff. They said repeated attempts to resolve the matter through engagements with former Board Chairmen, including Alhaji Aliyu Abdurrahman Dikko, Ibrahim Alhassan Babayo, and Yunusa Yakubu, failed to yield results.
Premium Pension Limited, one of Nigeria’s leading pension fund administrators, operates under the Contributory Pension Scheme regulated by the National Pension Commission (PenCom). Disputes over unpaid benefits and delayed gratuities have occasionally arisen in the industry, highlighting ongoing challenges in enforcing pension and exit entitlements. The lawsuit underscores the growing concerns among employees and retirees regarding compliance with contractual and statutory obligations in Nigeria’s pension sector.
The claimants stated that Premium Pension’s actions have caused financial hardship and emotional distress for them and their dependents. They are seeking full legal redress and compensation for the alleged wrongful dismissals and unpaid entitlements.
