MAGPAMAN Ebonyi boss, bank appeal court verdict

The Executive Chairman of the Maize Growers, Processors, and Marketers Association of Nigeria (MAGPAMAN), Ebonyi State Chapter, Mr. Ebere Oji Odii, and Ecobank Nigeria Limited have appealed the verdict of Ebonyi State High Court, sitting in Abakaliki, on the Federal Government Anchor Borrowers’ Scheme.

The appellants, in a suit filed at the Court of Appeal in Enugu, are seeking to have the judgement of the lower court, which granted one Nzubechi Okoro’s claims in its entirety, set aside on the grounds that the verdict is against the weight of evidence.

An Ebonyi State High Court, sitting in Abakaliki, had ordered the Executive Chairman of MAGPAMAN Ebonyi State office and Ecobank to pay N10 million in damages in favour of Okoro for fraudulently using his bank details to obtain a loan facility without his consent.

Okoro, a Delta State-based businessman from Ebonyi State, had dragged Ecobank (1st defendant), Odii (2nd defendant), Nwabueze (3rd defendant), and MAGPAMAN (4th defendant) to court after his Bank Verification Number (BVN) was blacklisted by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over a loan that he purportedly took from the Anchor Borrowers’ Scheme of the Federal Government.

The trial judge, Justice Chris Eze, declared that the defendants shall jointly and severally pay the plaintiff the sum of N10 million only as general damages for the financial loss, embarrassment, emotional and psychological trauma, and pain suffered by the plaintiff, following the blacklisting of his BVN by the CBN as a result of the unlawful and fraudulent use of his bank details and BVN by the 2nd to 4th defendants to obtain a loan facility from the 1st defendant and the connivance of all the defendants to carry out their unlawful acts.

Dissatisfied with the judgement, Ecobank and Odii approached the Court of Appeal, challenging the decision of Justice Eze.

Ecobank argued that the trial court was in error for failing to properly evaluate the evidence before it, leading to a miscarriage of justice.

The bank further contended that the lower court did not consider and evaluate the evidence of the appellant that the Central Bank of Nigeria provided the list and directed the appellant to open an account under the Anchor Borrowers Programme.

Odii, in his appeal through his counsel, J.N. Unah, argued that the court erred in law by denying the 2nd defendant a fair hearing by not allowing him to file a reply on points of law. Consequently, no reference was made by the trial judge to any reply on points of law.

Odii explained that he was not the person who registered Mr. Okoro as a member of MAGPAMAN and did not receive Okoro’s BVN and personal information.

He only inherited the list of members approved for participation in the 2020 Anchor Borrowers Programme, in which Okoro’s name was listed.

“I have been a businessman with a special focus on agricultural businesses. I have never cheated anyone and will never cheat anyone.

“My commitment and sincere delivery in agribusiness, products, and services are what led to my appointment as Chairman of Ebonyi State Chapter of MAGPAMAN, even though I was not a founding member of the association.

“Our good efforts during the cluster farming programme led to many people registering as MAGPAMAN members, to the point that we currently have about 13,000 members in our register. It was just unfortunate that the yield during the 2020 farming season was not good.

“However, as a leader in the Ebonyi State Chapter of MAGPAMAN, I have continued to encourage members to always show commitment to maize farming and work towards contributing our quota to satisfying the maize needs of our dear nation, Nigeria,” Odii stated.