…Arrest warrant against bank staff dead on arrival— APC
The Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Osun State, Hon. Abiodun Idowu, has commended the State High Court for granting an order to quash a criminal charge filed against United Bank for Africa (UBA) and three staff.
It would be recalled that the Osun State High Court, sitting in Osogbo, presided over by Justice Matthias Agboola on Friday in Suit Hos/M4/2026, granted an order in a Motion Ex parte to quash criminal proceedings against UBA and its staff at the Magistrate Court.
Earlier, the Magistrate A. A. Adeyeba, who is a party in the suit, had issued a bench warrant against some officials of the UBA despite the pending High Court matter, which prayed the court to quash the proceedings in the matter before the Magistrate.
Reacting to the development, the Osun ALGON Chairman, Hon. Samuel Idowu Abiodun, lauded the High Court decision, saying the Leave granted to the UBA officials is an affirmation of the supremacy of the rule of law.
Abiodun who described the issuance of Bench Warrant against official of UBA as ‘bizarre’, saying “it beats the imagination of any right-thinking member of the public in the fact that a whole Magistrate who is expected to uphold the rule of law would snub the same law and descend on innocent officials of the bank who have chosen to be law abiding by approaching the State High Court to vent their grievances over the Illegality being arranged at the Magistrate court.”
He therefore advised members of the public to remain calm and be law-abiding while the Illegality is being lawfully fought in the court of law.
Also, APC, through its Director of Media, Chief Kola Olabisi, in a statement on Saturday, said the bench warrant against UBA staff is dead on arrival and lauded judiciary for granting leave to quash the criminal case at the magistrate.
He berated Governor Ademola Adeleke for the display of ignorance over the controversial bench warrant order issued by an Osogbo Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
According to him, “We commend the judiciary for granting the leave to quash the criminal charges against the financial institution UBA. One would have expected Magistrate Adeyeba to await the decision of the superior court over the determination of the validity of charge No. MOS/601c/2025, once the leave had been granted, but he refused to honour the ruling and went ahead to issue a bench warrant, which, in the eyes of the law, amounts to an academic exercise.
“It was disheartening that Adeleke’s government could needlessly resort to celebrating failure when it is obvious even to a layman that the order of the Magistrate Court was dead on arrival.
“We, as a party, are expressing displeasure over the negligence of the Magistrate to have ignored the pendency of Suit No. FHC/OS/CS/19/2026, in which the Magistrate is also a defendant, as instituted by the reinstated chairmen and councillors to challenge the illegality being perpetrated at the Magistrate’s Court over the purported charge.
“For the purpose of clarity and avoidance of doubt, the ruling of the State High Court sitting in Osogbo has nullified whatever the decision that might have been taken by the Magistrate Court, which, by implication, is a nullity and mere academic exercise.”
