A Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday struck out a N1 billion suit instituted against former President Muhammadu Buhari and former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, over the hardships that trailed the 2023 naira redesign policy.
The trial judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, threw out the suit instituted by an Abuja-based legal practitioner, Uthman Isa Tochukwu, on the grounds of lack of diligent prosecution of the case.
In his ruling, Justice Ekwo held that he was convinced that the plaintiff had deliberately abandoned his own case due to his persistent absence in court without legal representation and any explanation.
The plaintiff in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/418/2023 had dragged the former President, Attorney General of the Federation, former governor of the CBN, CBN and two commercial banks before the court claiming that they inflicted series of hardships on him during the redesign of the naira.
In the suit filed on his behalf by his counsel, Bala Dakum, the plaintiff alleged that his fundamental rights to freedom of movement and dignity of his person were violently breached.
Specifically, the legal practitioner claimed his movement was curtailed while his money in the two commercial banks could not be assessed during the hardship occasioned by the redesign of the naira in January and March 2023. He therefore prayed the court to award N1 billion damages against the defendants to be paid to him for the breach of his fundamental rights.
The plaintiff also demanded an order of perpetual injunction against Buhari and others restraining them from further withholding the old N200, N500 and N1, 000 denominations. Similarly, he demanded that the court compel the defendants to tender a public apology to be published in two major newspapers in the country.
However, at yesterday’s proceedings, both the plaintiff and his counsel were not in court and did not offer any excuse for their absence. Counsel to the 3rd and 4th defendants (Emefiele and CBN) Chikelue Amasiani drew the attention of Justice Ekwo to the persistent absence of the plaintiff and his counsel in court during past proceedings.
Amasiani said that since the suit was filed in 2023, both the plaintiff and his lawyer have not shown any seriousness and commitment to the prosecution of the case. He prayed the judge to strike out the suit and that the plaintiff can come back to revive the case when ready to show seriousness.
