A KANO State High Court has issued an interim injunction, preventing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), and Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) from withholding allocations meant for the 44 local governments in the state.
This decision follows an Ex-Parte Motion filed on November 1 by the Chairman of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Ibrahim Muhammed, and five concerned residents of the state.
The concerned residents, including Ibrahim Shehu, Ibrahim Abubakar, Usman Isa, Sarki Kurawa, and Usman Imam, filed the motion through their counsel, Bashir Yusuf-Muhammad and Usman Bala-Salisu.
Their primary concern was the potential withholding or delay of essential allocations for local governance in the state.
The respondents in the case include the AGF, the CBN, the RMFAC, the 44 Kano Local Governments, UBA, Access, and six other commercial banks.
Judge Ibrahim Musa-Muhammad granted the Order of Interim Injunction, restraining the respondents from interfering with the applicants’ rights in this suit.
This implies that the aforementioned respondents are not permitted to act in any way that might impair the applicants’ rights with regard to the allocations, either directly or through agents, officers, or representatives.
This court ruling guarantees that Kano State’s local governments get the funding they require, allowing them to operate efficiently and offer vital services to their constituents.
Additionally, while the motion on notice is being heard and decided, the judge prevented the 45th through 54th respondents from taking any further action that would interfere with, delay, or refuse to disburse the allocations from the Federation accounts that are due and payable to the Kano 44 LGAs for the benefit of the citizens.
To guarantee the efficient service of the court papers, Musa-Muhammad permitted the applicants to use Red Star Express Plc, Courier Service as a special bailiff to serve the court processes on the 45th, 46th, and 47th respondents.
To hear the application on notice, the Court postponed the case until November 21.
The latest case might not be unconnected with the similar issue that came up in Rivers State last week.
The ICIR reported that a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to withhold the Federal Government’s monthly allocation to the Rivers State Government.
The presiding judge, Joyce Abdulmalik, in a ruling on Wednesday, October 30, maintained that the presentation of the 2024 budget by the Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara to four members of the state House of Assembly was an aberration and an affront to Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended)
According to the judge, Fubara’s receipt and distribution of monthly allocations since January 2024 was illegal.
She directed Zenith Bank, Access Bank, the CBN, and the Accountant General of the Federation to stop Fubara from getting access to funds from the Consolidated Revenue and Federation Account.
The judge delivered the ruling in response to a lawsuit brought before the court by the Rivers State House of Assembly, headed by Martins Amaewhule.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/984/2024, the plaintiff had sued the CBN, Zenith Bank PLC, Access Bank PLC, the AGF, Fubara, the Accountant General of Rivers State, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSEIC), and the Chief Judge of the state, among others.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance