A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a N1 billion lawsuit filed against former President Muhammadu Buhari and former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele regarding the hardships caused by the 2023 Naira redesign policy.
The case, which was initiated by legal practitioner Uthman Isa Tochukwu, sought compensation for the plaintiff’s claimed financial and personal suffering due to the Naira redesign. However, Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo ruled to strike out the suit on grounds of lack of diligent prosecution.
In his ruling on Monday, Justice Ekwo noted that the plaintiff had failed to attend court hearings without any valid explanation. The absence of both the plaintiff and his lawyer during the court proceedings led the judge to conclude that the case had been abandoned. The case, which was filed in 2023, had faced repeated delays due to the plaintiff’s failure to show up in court.
The lawsuit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/418/2023, was aimed at former President Buhari, the Attorney General of the Federation, Emefiele, the CBN, and two commercial banks. The plaintiff claimed that the Naira redesign, which took place in early 2023, severely disrupted his daily life, preventing him from accessing his funds in the affected banks and violating his fundamental rights to freedom of movement and personal dignity.
Tochukwu sought a N1 billion compensation for the damage he said was inflicted upon him during the period of the Naira redesign. His claims included that his ability to carry out basic activities was significantly hindered by the sudden policy changes, which led to an ongoing currency shortage. He also requested that the court issue a permanent injunction, barring the government from withholding the old N200, N500, and N1000 notes. Furthermore, the plaintiff demanded a public apology from the defendants to be published in two major Nigerian newspapers.
However, during Monday’s proceedings, both Tochukwu and his lawyer were absent once again. This led to the intervention of Chikelue Amasiani, the lawyer representing the CBN and Emefiele, who highlighted the plaintiff’s consistent failure to appear in court. Amasiani urged the court to dismiss the case due to the lack of seriousness shown by the plaintiff in pursuing his claim.
Justice Ekwo agreed with the defendant’s counsel, noting the plaintiff’s lack of commitment to the case, and decided to strike out the lawsuit. The judge did, however, state that the plaintiff could revive the case if he chose to pursue it more seriously in the future.
