Manny Ita –
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed separate appeals filed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), upholding a N2.5 billion judgment debt awarded to 110 university staff members dismissed in 1996. In a unanimous judgment delivered on Friday, Justice Okon Abang affirmed the previous rulings of the National Industrial Court and directed both institutions to comply immediately with the payment order. The court criticized the appellants for their prolonged resistance to subsisting judicial directives, characterizing the legal maneuvers as an unnecessary obstruction of justice. Justice Abang specifically faulted the apex bank’s role in the matter, stating, “In this matter, it is not the duty of the CBN to play the role of an advocate but to implement the court judgment that awarded the money to the workers in the absence of any contrary court order.”
The appellate court further condemned the ethical conduct of the legal counsel involved and the resultant delay in justice for the affected workers. “It is also unethical for the lawyer to the CBN to have supported the bank in frustrating the judgment of the Industrial Court. The unfortunate action of the CBN prolonged the suffering and hardship of the workers,” Justice Abang remarked. The court questioned the legal standing of the CBN’s challenge, noting that the bank had been in custody of the funds for several years without a valid reason for withholding them. “How can the CBN be asking that an order of court not made against it be vacated when it has been holding the workers’ money since 2018? The situation must not continue. There must be an end to litigation,” the judge added, concluding that the appeals lacked merit.
The legal battle originated nearly 30 years ago following the disengagement of the 110 staff members, a move later criticized by ABU’s internal panels. After the workers filed a suit in 2012, the National Industrial Court ruled in their favor in 2015, ordering the payment of N2.5 billion plus 10 percent annual interest. When ABU failed to settle the debt, garnishee proceedings were initiated against the university’s accounts. The CBN, acting as a garnishee, had argued that the consent of the Attorney-General of the Federation was required before the funds could be released—a claim the court rejected on the grounds that the Attorney-General was already a party to the suit. Following the dismissal of these latest appeals, the Court of Appeal awarded costs of N5 million each against the CBN and ABU in favor of the workers, effectively concluding the decades-long litigation.
