Sequel to the suit filed by Incorporated Trustees of the African Initiative Against Abuse of Public Trust against the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and others, a Federal High Court, Awka, Anambra State, has directed the plaintiff to put the defendants on notice to come and show cause why the plaintiff’s prayers should not be granted them.

The plaintiff filed the action on behalf of over 50 million Nigerians in different rural areas without bank accounts, it noted.

Other defendants in the suit are CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) as 2nd and 3rd defendants.

A copy of the suit marked FHC/AWK/CS/195/2022 filed on November 30, 2022 and certified on December 9, 2022, was made available to The Guardian last week.
The defendants were represented by their counsel, Chief Musa Tolani, an Aba-based lawyer.

The plaintiff’s are praying the court to order an interim injunction restraining the defendants, particularly, the CBN and Emefiele either by themselves or their privies or agents from taking any step to enforce the implementation of the policy on the redesign of Naira and non physical exchange of the old notes with the new notes without a clear policy on how to accommodate over 50 million Nigerians without bank accounts.

The prayers included an order for accelerated hearing and determination of the originating summons, granting the plaintiffs leave to serve Emefiele and AGF with the processes by substituted means by posting or transmitting it through DHL Courier Services, among others.

They also want the court to bar the CBN and Emefiele by themselves or agents from taking any steps to dissipate, discountenance or in any other manner, inhibit over 50 million Nigerians without bank accounts from using alternative means to exchange old notes with the redesigned notes.

Another prayer was an “order of departure from the rules by abridging the time within which the defendants may file their respective counter affidavit to the originating summons to a period of five days from the date of service of the processes.”

After hearing the plaintiff’s counsel that the CBN and Emefiele have served them with their response to the originating processes trial judge, H. A. Nganjiwa granted leave to serve through substituted means by posting.

The matter was adjourned to January 19, 2023 for hearing of the motion on notice for the interlocutory injunction.