By Danlami Nmodu
A Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned till December 10th 2012, the suit filed by an Indian Consultant Pathologist , Dr. Neeraj Singh praying the Court to restrain the Nigeria Immigration Service and four others from repatriating him from Nigeria until the case before the court is determined .
The Federal High Court in Abuja presided by Justice GO Kolawole has ordered the Nigeria Imimigration Service,Primus Health Care (Nigeria)Ltd and others to show cause why the orders sought ex parte by Dr Singh shall not be granted pending the hearing and determination of the motion on Notice .The respondents in the suit also include Achla Dewan,Pinto Jayraj and Mr Eugene Obiora Emordi.
Dr Singh filed a motion ex parte praying for an order among others restraining the respondents from illegally repatriating the him from the shores of this country or by cancellation of their visa until the determination of the suit before the honourable court.
He is also seeking “an order restraining the Respondents from illegally evicting the applicant from his residence without payments of outstanding salaries and other entitlements accruing to him and without proper arrangements for his return to his home country India pending the determination of this suit”
Singh is equally seeking an order ”restraining the Respondents from further harassing ,intimidating ,verbally insulting,and threatening the life of the Applicant.And from barring him from freely moving around the premises of the hospital by Mr. Emordi and any other person in the hospital.
The Dr also wants an order ”compelling the Defendants/Respondents to immediately return the international passport and other travel documents including air tickets of the plaintiff/Applicant which has been illegally kept by them” ; “And for such further and other orders as the Honourable Court May deem fit to make in the circumstance”.
Dr Singh was recruited in India as a consultant Pathologist by Primus Health Care (Nig)Ltd and brought to Nigeria. In his affidavit ,Dr Singh revealed among others that even though he was pressurized by Primus Hospital to leave his former job in India, he has suffered untold hardship in Nigeria.
“That from my resumption of duty on the 12th day of March 2012, my salaries were withheld for three months as only half salary was given to me in the month of April and the feeding allowance of two hundred and forty thousand , until the month of June was my salary transferred to my account for the month of April and May holding yet the salary for June.The next payment again came in the month of August with two months payment for June and July holding back August .To date ,no salary has been given to me after that .This breached the monthly payment agreed both by the offer signed on the 23rd day of February and the unexecuted contract ,”Singh said in the affidavit before the court which also detailed several alleged misdeeds that culminated in his being invited by the immigration service to make a statement.
Sources knowlegeable about the travails of Dr Singh claim he is not the first victim of this sort of curious maltreatment.Insiders accuse the Indian proprietors of the hospital of flaunting their alleged connection in Nigeria.Dr Singh’s suit is said to be generating a lot of interests back in India as journalists have been phoning in requesting for details of the suit.Why the Indian High Commission in Abuja has failed to assist its embattled citizens is a question begging for an answer .
Meanwhile, Dr Singh hopes to get justice at the Federal High Court in Abuja,Nigeria.
