Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on
Friday stopped the Federal Government from going ahead to deduct $418million
from the bank account of the 36 state governments.
The judge issued a restraining order against the Federal
Government following an ex parte application argued by counsel to the 36
states, Jibrin Otukepa and Ahmed Raji, both senior advocates of Nigeria.
While moving the application, Otukepa, who led the legal
team of the states, told the judge that the states would be completely crippled
if the Federal Government should go ahead to deduct the huge amount from the
bank accounts of its clients.
The senior lawyers told the judge that the Federal
Government predicted the plan to deduct the $418 million from the state account
monthly to service debt for contracts allegedly executed for the states.
However, Otukepa said that the 36 states Attorneys General
have scrutinized the purported contract and judgment and found that the states
were not parties to court action that resulted in the judgment debt.
He further submitted that the purported contract claimed to
have been executed for the states are not known to any of the 36 state
governments and is, therefore, a phony contract.
The Senior lawyer further told the court that the Federal
Government was the only party to the court case that brought the judgment and
therefore such judgment is not binding on the state government.
After listening to the arguments of the 36 states, Justice
Ekwo ordered the federal government not to go ahead to make any deduction from
the state account in respect of the purported court judgment until all issues
relating to it are fully determined.
The Judge fixed the matter for November 30th and ordered the
plaintiff’s lawyer to serve all processes on the defendants before the adjourned
date.
Details later…
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