The Minna High Court No. 2 has awarded the Incorporated Trustees of the Niger State Parents Teachers Association of Nigeria (NIPTAN) ₦5 million in damages and ₦1 million as litigation costs, while restraining the Niger State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education from interfering in the affairs of the association.

The judgment, delivered by Justice Mikaila Abdullahi in Suit No. NSHC/MN/446/2025, followed a legal challenge instituted by NIPTAN over the dissolution of its Niger State executive committee and the subsequent inauguration of a caretaker committee.

Justice Abdullahi held that the defendants’ decision to dissolve the executive committee was illegal, null and void, and ordered them to desist from further interference in the legitimate affairs of the association.

The court affirmed that NIPTAN, being an incorporated entity registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), has the legal right to conduct its affairs in accordance with its constitution without unlawful interference.

The suit was filed in 2025 by NIPTAN through its counsel, Abubakar Sadiq Maaji, Esq., challenging the dissolution of the association’s executive committee and the establishment of a caretaker committee to oversee the affairs of the Niger State chapter.

Joined in the suit were the National Parents Teachers Association, the Director-General of Niger State Schools Reform, Hajiya Maimuna Mohammed, and members of the caretaker committee inaugurated by the defendants.

In his judgment, the judge held that the defendants had no constitutional right to interfere in the legitimate affairs of the plaintiff or take further action against it.

Justice Abdullahi further held that the inauguration of a caretaker committee to replace the existing constitutional structure of NIPTAN amounted to an infringement of the association’s right to freedom of association guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.

The court consequently ordered the defendants to refrain from any further action that could amount to unlawful interference in the activities of NIPTAN.

It also awarded ₦5 million in damages and ₦1 million as cost of litigation, bringing the total award to ₦6 million.

Reacting to the judgment, the Chairman of NIPTAN in Niger State, Alhaji Yunusa Adamu, described the outcome as a victory for the association and parents across Niger State and Nigeria.

Adamu said the judgment had opened a new chapter for the association, adding that NIPTAN would now focus on strengthening its contribution to the development of education in Niger State and the country.

He commended Justice Abdullahi for what he described as courage and firmness in delivering the judgment, saying the ruling would enable the association to concentrate on its constitutional responsibilities and the advancement of educational development.