A former Territory Manager, Ntima Anya, has filed a case against the multinational beverage company, Guinness Nigeria Plc, before the National Industrial Court in Akure.
Anya is seeking N100 million in damages over what he described as the wrongful, unlawful, and inhumane termination of his appointment.
The defendants in the suit are Guinness Nigeria Plc and Moshood Adejoro, who was his former line manager (an employee with the company to date).
The matter came up for hearing on Tuesday. The claimant opened his case through his counsel, Samuel Nmesi, who tendered 36 documentary exhibits in evidence before Justice K.D. Damulak.
The court admitted all documents and adjourned further hearing to November 27 for the defence counsel, Ade Abioye, to cross-examine.
Anya served as territory manager for Ilorin/Offa. He alleged that his dismissal on October 30, 2020, violated due process. He said it resulted from bias, witch-hunting, and gross unprofessional conduct by his immediate supervisor, Adejoro, and other top officials of Guinness Nigeria.
He told the court he submitted a medical report from Olanrewaju Hospital, Ilorin, which confirmed his blood pressure had dangerously increased. Despite this, the company still refused to grant him annual or sick leave.
He added that, despite his complaint, he was forced to work during the COVID-19 lockdown. He said he was also compelled to sell nearly expired Dubic Malt products. He claimed these actions endangered both his health and professional integrity.
According to the claimant, the process used to terminate his employment violated established labour regulations, as he was not given a fair hearing, transparency, or adherence to company procedures.
He alleged his company’s assets were seized in public. He claimed the termination letter was signed under duress at a distributor’s outlet in Ilorin. He also said no exit clearance or orientation was conducted, despite his nearly ten years of service to the company.
Anya further accused the firm of denying him access to proper medical care. He said the company forced him out of the hospital on the day his appointment was terminated and trivialised his hypertensive condition as “ordinary sickness”.
He stated that his health rapidly worsened after the incident, leading to severe sight problems that now require corrective lenses.
Anya urged the court to rule that the Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) cited by the company as the reason for his dismissal was fraudulent. He said it was never formally initiated.
He noted that internal emails presented in court showed inconsistencies in the PIP timelines. He suggested this indicated a deliberate intent to mislead the court.
The claimant also tendered several exhibits. These included medical reports, ECG scans, referral letters to cardiologists, commendation letters, salary review documents, and corporate excellence awards he received in 2019 and 2020.
He claimed these records clearly show his strong performance before his dismissal.
Among the documents admitted was a death certificate for his mother. He said she died due to his inability to finance her medication after his dismissal.
The court also admitted a copy of a previous judgment where another employee, Bright Nwosu, won against Guinness Nigeria at the National Industrial Court in Port Harcourt in 2023.
Anya’s counsel told the court that Guinness’s actions went beyond wrongful dismissal. He described them as “an attempted homicide”, citing the health risks and psychological trauma inflicted on his client.
He said the case was not just about justice for one man. It was also about ending a pattern of abuse of power within the organisation.
