Former workers petition anti-graft agency to join $120m fraud investigation, await National Assembly committee report
Former workers of the defunct Jos Steel Rolling Company in Plateau State have expressed renewed hope following the arrest of the Chairman of Zuma Steel West Africa Limited, Dr. Innocent Ozoemena Ezuma, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged fraud involving more than $120 million.
The workers, including widows and orphans of deceased colleagues, expressed their reactions during an emergency meeting in Jos on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, where they reviewed their longstanding grievances over alleged unpaid salaries and entitlements spanning nearly two decades.
The former employees, who were re-engaged by Zuma Steel following the privatisation of the Jos Steel Rolling Mill in 2006, also discussed the status of their petition before the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions.
Speaking at the meeting, the workers’ leader and lead petitioner, Danjuma Samuel Agbo, disclosed that the committee had concluded its hearing on September 30, 2026, and that they were awaiting its final report for presentation to the House for adoption and further legislative action.
Agbo, a former public relations officer of the company, said the petition, titled Danjuma Samuel Agbo vs Dr. Innocent Ezuma and Zuma Steel West Africa Ltd, concerns alleged abandonment of workers, non-payment of salaries and entitlements, violation of a consent judgment, and forceful eviction from staff quarters.
Workers allege 19 years without salaries
Documents presented by the petitioners indicate that Zuma Steel issued appointment letters to former federal government employees following the mill’s privatisation in 2006.
According to the workers, the company paid full salaries for about three months and half salaries for approximately eight months between July 2006 and March 2007 before directing them through an internal circular to remain at home until electricity supply stabilised.
The workers said the directive required them to remain employees of the company, but they were allegedly left without salaries for nearly 20 years.
They further alleged that the company subsequently issued quit notices to staff occupying its residential quarters, demanding rent payments in cash or requiring them to vacate the premises, despite provisions in their appointment letters for housing allowances to be deducted at source.
Agbo said his experience was particularly distressing, alleging that he was forcefully evicted from his staff apartment and business premises in 2020 despite complying with a consent judgment requiring him to pay for both properties.
He claimed that his apartment and business premises were broken into and his belongings thrown out during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Other workers, including Nansoh G. Lar, reportedly approached the National Industrial Court, Jos Division, over the dispute.
In Nansoh G. Lar vs Zuma Steel West Africa Ltd, Suit No. NICN/JOS/31/2017, the court delivered judgment on September 20, 2019, holding that the employment subsisted and awarding arrears, according to the workers’ account.
Workers welcome EFCC investigation
The workers described Ezuma’s arrest as a significant development in their quest for justice.
The EFCC announced on October 20, 2026, that Ezuma, 57, had been arrested at his Abuja residence on October 19 over allegations that he defrauded a Ukrainian investor of more than $120 million between 2007 and 2015 in connection with mineral exploration and power projects that were allegedly not executed.
EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale reportedly confirmed that Ezuma remained in custody while the commission investigated allegations including advance-fee fraud, criminal breach of trust, obtaining money under false pretences and money laundering.
The workers also alleged that the investigation could provide an opportunity to examine issues surrounding the privatisation of the Jos Steel Rolling Mill, the alleged diversion of funds and the non-payment of former employees.
Their claims concerning the company and its management remain allegations and would require appropriate investigation and determination by the relevant authorities.
David Isaiah, who said he was among the first 55 employees recruited by the Federal Government and sent to Germany for training in May 1981, said Zuma Steel employed him in 2006 but asked him to stay at home after six months.
“This is the best thing that can happen to Nigeria! I didn’t know that the current EFCC can work like this,” Isaiah said.
Signor Ben, who was employed in 1982 and said he was among those who submitted an initial complaint to Ezuma and the Federal Government in 2013, described his re-engagement as the beginning of years of hardship.
He alleged that the company instructed workers to remain at home rather than seek employment elsewhere, while demanding that occupants of staff quarters either pay rent in cash or vacate the premises.
Sani Baba, a mechanical engineer employed in 1983 who worked on spare parts and maintained production lines, said the former workers had helped train new personnel after the company took over the facility.
He alleged that the workers received only a few months of full and half salaries before being abandoned.
“Since then, no kobo has been given to us and a lot of our colleagues have died from long suffering,” Baba said, describing the arrest as unexpected.
He added that a transparent investigation could help strengthen foreign investors’ confidence in Nigeria by demonstrating that their investments would be protected.
Workers seek inclusion in $120m fraud case
At the end of the meeting, the former employees signed a supplementary petition to the EFCC, to be filed through their counsel, Hon. Solomon Dalung, and Agbo.
The petition, referenced as Supplementary Petition to EFCC/PET/HQR/1733/2026, seeks to have the workers recognised as victims and witnesses in the ongoing investigation into the alleged $120 million fraud.
They also urged the commission to consider their claimed unpaid entitlements in any restitution process and protect them against further harassment or eviction while the investigation continues.
The workers commended the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions for hearing their grievances and praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what they described as allowing anti-graft agencies to operate without interference.
They also appealed to the EFCC to pursue the investigation without compromise and ensure that their longstanding employment grievances receive attention.
The former workers are now awaiting the National Assembly committee’s report while seeking redress over their alleged unpaid salaries and entitlements dating back to the 2006 takeover of the steel company.
