Old Naira Notes: Courts In Lagos Disobey Supreme Court Ruling, Reject Outdated Naira Notes For Processing Charges

The development provides one other wrinkle to the nation’s lingering old naira notes crisis. 

There was drama on Monday on the High Courts in Lagos State as legal professionals and litigants couldn’t file their court docket processes utilizing the previous naira notes for fee as a result of the court docket officials rejected the notes, saying the banks now not accept them as authorized tender.

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The event provides one other wrinkle to the nation’s lingering naira disaster.

It was gathered that the account officers on the Lagos Island and Ikeja High Court registries insisted that new naira notes must be paid by lawyers and litigants, explaining that their makes an attempt to ship previous naira notes collected from court customers into the government account had been denied by banks.

Based on an anonymous workers member, they were directed by their boss to cease collecting previous notes as a result of once they took previous notes collected from court users to 4 completely different banks, particularly FCMB, Polaris, UBA, and Fidelity, the outdated cash was rejected.

Henceforth, the court official famous that legal professionals and litigants should include solely the brand new naira notes.

One of the affected lawyers, who spoke to PUNCH over the telephone however didn’t need his title printed, mentioned the registry on the Osborne Division of the Lagos High Court rejected the previous notes and prevented him from continuing along with his processes.

He bemoaned the truth that the Supreme Court’s order to maintain the previous naira notes in circulation was being disregarded.

“Non-acceptance of previous notes can be a disaster to the nation. The very best court within the land, Supreme Court, order is being flouted with impunity. It’s apparent that the CBN, particularly the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, is able to impose a state of anarchy on Nigeria by directing banks towards the order of the apex court.”

The Supreme Court had on February 8, 2023, made an interim order, restraining the CBN from going forward with the enforcement of its February 10, deadline for the usage of the previous naira note.

A seven-member panel of the court, led by John Okoro, gave the order of interim injunction amid an acute shortage of the newly redesigned N200, N500, and N1,000 currency notes.

Last December, the CBN launched the brand new notes amid efforts to battle corruption, terrorism, counterfeiting and associated crimes.

Nonetheless, Nigerians have had issue getting the brand new notes amid shortage and rising rigidity throughout the country.