The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed separate appeals by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) seeking to stop payment of a ₦2.5 billion judgment debt to 110 workers unlawfully dismissed in 1996.
In two unanimous rulings, a three-member panel ordered the CBN to immediately release the funds, which ABU had lodged with the bank since 2018 for settlement of the judgment. The appeals were dismissed as unmeritorious.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Okon Abang rejected the CBN’s argument that garnishee proceedings could not be used to enforce payment and that consent from the Attorney General of the Federation was required. He held that the workers were entitled to pursue enforcement through the courts and warned of sanctions if the bank continued to delay compliance.
The court also criticized the CBN for contesting payment despite holding the funds, describing its actions as wasteful and prolonging the workers’ hardship. It stressed that the bank’s role was to comply with court orders, not obstruct enforcement.
The dispute stems from a 2022 garnishee order absolute issued by the National Industrial Court directing the CBN to pay the entitlements after ruling the workers were unlawfully dismissed by ABU’s sole administrator at the time.
In addition to the ₦2.5 billion award, the Court of Appeal ordered the CBN and ABU to each pay ₦5 million in litigation costs to the workers.
