The National Industrial Court of Nigeria, has ordered Fidelity Bank and the Benue State Government to pay the sum of N1.4 billion Naira to one Aondohemba Agba Injo and 210 others over unpaid claims of the creditors who are staff of the defunct Taraku Mills Limited.
The court also issued a Writ or execution against the garnished /Respondent thereafter, by directing the Deputy Sherriff of the court to seal the Banks branches in Abuja, Lafia, Makurdi and any others in Nigeria for the purpose of enforcing the judgment of the court.
The two major branches of the bank in Abuja cituated in the Business Central Area and Maitama were consequently sealed up yesterday, (Tuesday)
Honorable Justice R. B Haastrup who delivered the judgment on the 19th of November 2020 in a suit no NICN/ABJ/241M/2020 said, “I have carefully perused through the processes filed by the judgment creditors /Applicants herein and have also listened to the oral submissions of counsel in respect thereto vis-a-vis the authorities cited in support thereof.
” The rules of this court as stated by the Applicant’s counsel are indeed clear on the requirements for the issuance of the Writ of execution as embodied in Order 49 Rules 3 and 6,whoch the Applicants herein has compiled with”.
While the seal up of Fidelity Bank was executed in some of its branches in Abuja, a top bank manager said the process of paying off the debts has begun.
One of the creditors, Aondohemba Agba Injo and their team of lawyers yesterday besieged the bank premises told our reporter that,” they have showed us bank drafts to prove that they are processing the payments but what we don’t know is if it’s a gimmick because they promised to compete it in three hours but it’s well past three hours now but we are still here and waiting.
It was discovered that while the bank is slow in rounding up the process was to buy time while they explore possibilities of obtaining a stay of execution order from the Supreme court.
But a lawyer, Barrister A Usha told our reporter that cases of such nature terminates at the Industrial court of Appeal.
It was also gathered that the Benue State Government was mounting pressure on the officials of the Industrial Court of Appeal to illegally unseal the banks premises against a lawful order.