Justice Binta Fatima Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, will on December 8, 2025, begin hearing a suit filed by media entrepreneur and publisher of PRNigeria, Yushau A. Shuaib, challenging his withdrawal from the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 47 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru.

The case, marked 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 the plaintiff’s claims.

Represented by Yunus Abdulsalam (SAN), Shuaib is asking the court to set aside his withdrawal from the NIPSS course and order his reinstatement with full rights, benefits, and privileges.

He is also seeking ₦1 billion in damages for alleged emotional and reputational harm, alongside ₦100 million in litigation costs, accusing the institute of disregarding a pre-action notice sent to its Director General, Prof. Ayo Omotayo.

In a 40-paragraph affidavit, the plaintiff narrated what he described as harassment, cyberbullying, and arbitrary disciplinary actions that led to his removal from the course.

Shuaib, who was nominated for the programme by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), said the disciplinary process began after he was queried over a PRNigeria report titled “NIPSS Goes Digital…” and another opinion article on the Blue Economy, both of which, he claimed, had no connection to NIPSS.

“I was neither the author nor the editor of the said publication,” he stated, adding that the queries were unfounded and not supported by the institute’s code of conduct.

He also told the court that his withdrawal letter, dated June 2, 2025, was not officially served on him but was instead addressed to the NIPR, an action he described as “disrespectful and procedurally flawed.”

In his originating summons, Shuaib raised eight issues for determination, arguing that NIPSS’s actions were discriminatory and violated multiple constitutional provisions.

He alleged that the accessing of his email without consent infringed his right to privacy under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution.

He further claimed that punishing him over professional opinions expressed in the media breached his freedom of expression as guaranteed under Section 39(1).

“The action taken against me for an article unrelated to NIPSS amounts to a clear violation of my constitutional rights,” Shuaib said.

The plaintiff also argued that his suspension and subsequent withdrawal, allegedly on grounds of “externalisation of the subject,” were carried out without giving him an opportunity to defend himself, thereby breaching his right to a fair hearing under Section 36(1).

Shuaib, who said he fully paid ₦18.3 million in course fees, described his exclusion from the international study tour as a breach of contract and an act of discrimination.

He added that directives allegedly barring other participants from interacting with him and removing him from official communication platforms amounted to harassment and forced isolation.

“The treatment I received was unjust, humiliating, and contrary to the principles of fairness and equality expected from an institution of such standing,” he maintained.

Naijaonpoint reports that Shuaib is seeking a declaration that NIPSS had no authority to penalise him for content published by an independent media platform, and that his withdrawal from the Senior Executive Course 47 was unlawful, unconstitutional, and null and void.

The case, once heard, is expected to test the boundaries of academic discipline, free speech, and digital rights within Nigeria’s public institutions.

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