Court Takes Action on N1bn Suit Against Buhari, Others
- Former President Muhammadu Buhari and the immediate past governor of the CBN, Godwin Emefiele, who were dragged in a N1 billion suit over the naira redesign policy, have been set free
- An Abuja-based lawyer had filed the suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja, citing how his fundamental rights were violently abused
- Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo of the court dismissed the suit on Monday, April 28, after the defence counsel cited the consistent absence of the plaintiff from 2023, when the suit was first filed
FCT, Abuja - The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has struck out a lawsuit of N1 billion against the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari and the embattled former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo of the trial court dismissed the suit, which was over the hardship that followed the naira redesign policy.
Source: Twitter
Who dragged Buhari to court?
The suit, which was filed by an Abuja-based legal practitioner, Uthman Isa Tochukwu, was dismissed by Justice Ekwo over a lack of diligent prosecution.
According to Leadership, Justice Ekwo maintained that there is a conviction that the plaintiff had abandoned his own case deliberately, citing his consistent absence from the court. The court said that the applicant did this without a legal representation or any explanation.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/418/2023, the plaintiff named ex-President Buhari, the attorney general of the federation, former CBN governor Emefiele, the CBN and two commercial banks. The applicant had claimed that the defendants inflicted a series of hardships on him while implementing the naira redesign policy.
Why Buhari was dragged to court
Bala Dakum, the plaintiff in the suit, which was filed on his behalf by his counsel, alleged that his fundamental rights to freedom of movement and the dignity of his person were breached violently.
The legal practitioner specifically alleged that his movement was restricted while he was unable to access his money in the two commercial banks because of the hardship orchestrated by the naira redesign policy in January and March 2023.
He then asked the court to award the damages of N1 billion against Buhari and other defendants, the money would be paid to him for the violation of his fundamental rights.
Source: Twitter
Why court dismissed N1bn suit against Buhari
However, during the hearing of the suit on Monday, April 28, the plaintiff and his counsel were absent from the court, and they did not give any excuse for their absence.
Counsel to Emefiele and the CBN, Chikelue Amasiani, drew the judge's attention to the persistent absence of the applicant in the court during the past sittings on the matter.
Amasiani explained that since the suit was filed in 2023, Dakum and his counsel had not shown commitment and seriousness to the prosecution of the case. He then asked the court to strike out their application. He then promised to show seriousness should the plaintiff decide to revive the case. The judge then agreed with the counsel and struck out the application.
List of court orders Buhari has disobeyed
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Muhammadu Buhari, who had vowed to uphold the rule of law when he was sworn in in 2015, but have acted contrary in some cases.
The recent disobedience of a court order by President Buhari is the Supreme Court injunction restricting the federal government from implementing its naira redesign policy further.
The policy has left many Nigerians stranded as many of them cannot have their money in banks, while others are buying the country's currency for survival.
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Source: Legit.ng
