Court Sets Date For PRNigeria Publisher’s Legal Battle Against NIPSS

Justice Binta Fatima Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, is set to commence hearing on December 8, 2025, a lawsuit filed by media entrepreneur and PRNigeria publisher, Yushau A. Shuaib. The suit challenges his removal from the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 47 at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru.

The case, referenced as FHC/ABJ/CS/1329/2025, was assigned by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, who approved the hearing date after reviewing Shuaib’s petition.

Represented by SAN Yunus Abdulsalam, Shuaib is seeking a court order to overturn his withdrawal and secure reinstatement with full rights, privileges, and benefits. Additionally, he is pursuing ₦1 billion in damages for alleged reputational and emotional harm, along with ₦100 million in legal costs, accusing NIPSS of ignoring a pre-action notice addressed to its Director-General, Prof. Ayo Omotayo.

In a detailed 40-paragraph affidavit, Shuaib described what he termed harassment, cyberbullying, and arbitrary disciplinary actions that culminated in his exclusion from the course. He stated that he was nominated by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and that the disciplinary action stemmed from queries regarding a PRNigeria report, “NIPSS Goes Digital…”, and an opinion article on the Blue Economy—both of which he claimed were unrelated to NIPSS.

“I was neither the author nor the editor of the publication,” he asserted, noting that the queries were baseless and not grounded in the institute’s code of conduct.

Shuaib also highlighted that his withdrawal letter, dated June 2, 2025, was not personally served on him but sent to NIPR, a move he described as procedurally flawed and disrespectful.

Through his originating summons, he presented eight issues for the court to consider, arguing that NIPSS’s actions were discriminatory and violated multiple provisions of the Constitution. He claimed unauthorized access to his email breached his right to privacy under Section 37, while penalizing him over independent media commentary violated his freedom of expression under Section 39(1).

“The measures taken against me for content unrelated to NIPSS clearly infringed my constitutional rights,” Shuaib stated.

He further contended that his suspension and withdrawal, allegedly for “externalisation of the subject,” were executed without affording him a fair hearing, violating Section 36(1) of the Constitution. Having paid ₦18.3 million in course fees, he argued that exclusion from the international study tour constituted a breach of contract and discriminatory treatment.

Shuaib also alleged that directives preventing other participants from interacting with him and removing him from official communication channels amounted to harassment and forced isolation.

“The treatment I endured was unjust, humiliating, and contrary to the standards of fairness and equality expected from an institution of NIPSS’s stature,” he maintained.

He is seeking a declaration that NIPSS lacked authority to punish him for content published independently, and that his removal from SEC 47 was unlawful, unconstitutional, and void.

The case is expected to raise critical questions on academic discipline, freedom of expression, and digital rights within Nigeria’s public institutions.