The Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a N1 billion lawsuit filed against former President Muhammadu Buhari and former Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele over the 2023 naira redesign policy.
Justice Inyang Ekwo struck out the case on Monday because the plaintiff failed to properly follow up on the case.
The lawsuit was filed by an Abuja-based lawyer, Uthman Tochukwu. He accused Buhari, Emefiele, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and two commercial banks of causing hardship for Nigerians during the naira redesign period.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/418/2023, claimed that the policy severely affected Tochukwu’s rights. Through his lawyer, Bala Dakum, Tochukwu said that his freedom of movement and personal dignity were violated because he could not access his money in two commercial banks between January and March 2023.
He asked the court to award him N1 billion in damages for the hardship he suffered. He also asked for an order stopping the government from holding back the old N200, N500, and N1,000 notes and demanded a public apology to be published in two national newspapers.
However, at the court hearing on Monday, Justice Ekwo said that the plaintiff had abandoned his case because neither he nor his lawyer appeared in court or gave any reason for their absence.
The lawyer for the third and fourth defendants (Emefiele and the CBN), Mr Chikelue Amasiani, told the court that the plaintiff had consistently failed to attend hearings since filing the case in 2023.
Amasiani urged the court to strike out the case because of the plaintiff’s lack of seriousness. He added that the plaintiff could refile the case in the future if he was ready to pursue it properly.
In his short ruling, Justice Ekwo agreed with the defence and struck out the suit.
