Suspended Benue Assembly member, Dajoh drags Speaker to court, seeks N2bn compensation

Suspended Benue State House of Assembly member, Rt. Hon. Aondona Dajoh, has taken legal action against the Speaker of the Assembly, the legislative body, and top security chiefs, demanding ₦2 billion in damages over what he describes as an unlawful suspension.

The suit, filed at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Abuja Division, and marked NICN/ABJ/368/2025, was received by the court on December 5, 2025.

Dajoh is challenging his six-month suspension, which began in November 2025. He argues that the action violates Sections 36(1) and 101 of the 1999 Constitution as well as the Standing Orders of the Benue State House of Assembly.

The defendants listed in the suit include:

• The Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly

• Benue State House of Assembly

• Inspector-General of Police

• Chief of Defence Staff

• Department of State Services (DSS)

In the originating summons, the Gboko West representative insists he was suspended without fair hearing and that all his statutory entitlements—including an alleged ₦8 million monthly overhead—were abruptly stopped.

Dajoh is asking the court to declare the suspension unconstitutional and void, order his immediate reinstatement with full rights and privileges, and compel payment of all withheld allowances from November 2025 until judgment.

He is also seeking:

• ₦1 billion general damages for alleged mental and psychological torture

• ₦1 billion aggravated damages for what he calls the “unconscionable conduct” of the Speaker and the Assembly

• A perpetual injunction stopping further attempts to suspend or exclude him

• Another injunction restraining security agencies from blocking his access to the Assembly complex

The lawsuit further questions whether the suspension is in line with the Assembly’s Standing Orders adopted on May 25, 2023. Dajoh claims the action was politically motivated and carried out without due process, noting that an earlier three-month suspension had already elapsed.

As at the time of filing this report, neither the Speaker nor the Assembly had issued any public response to the legal challenge.

The case is expected to spark significant interest as it proceeds through the court.