A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the freezing of accounts belonging to Benue and Plateau states over their alleged refusal to release funds for payment of the wages and allowances of court workers.
The affected accounts are those in Skye Bank, Zenith Bank, First Bank of Nigeria and First City Monument Bank.
The court presided by Justice Ademola Adeniyi, gave the order, while ruling on two ex-parte motions filed by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), who sought to attach the states’ accounts in the banks,ß over their alleged refusal to pay about N1.6 billion to satisfy the January 13, 2014 judgment given by the judge.
According to the ruling obtained by Daily Independent, Justice Adeniyi made an order nisi “attaching the money belonging to the 15th and 16th judgment debtors/respondents domiciled with Skye Bank Plc, Makurdi Branch – account number 170008758 to satisfy the judgment awarded in favour of the judgment creditor/applicant.”
He also made a similar order in relation to Plateau State’s accounts in the other banks.
The judge ordered the garnishee “to show cause why the order nisi should not be made absolute by the court.”
Justice Ademola, in the 2014 judgment affirmed that the financial autonomy status granted the judiciary by the constitution had abolished the piecemeal funding of the arm of government by the state governments.
The union stated in its ex-parte motions, that the amount due to Benue State judiciary “as at March 2015, is N957,630,349.57,” while the amount due to the Plateau State judiciary for the same period is N673,019,948.19.
The governors and the Attorneys-General of both states were listed as the 15th and 16th; 63rd and 64th defendants in the motions.
JUSUN said Benue and Plateau, which were parties in the main suit, have “bluntly refused to obey the judgment of the court”.
It said the judiciary in the two states owe their workers, who are members of the union “arrears of salary and other funds due to them up to March 2015”.
They argued in the supporting affidavits, that all efforts made to ensure the state governments “comply with the judgment of this honourable court fell on deaf ears”.
Justice Ademola adjourned the garnishee proceedings to June 1.
Meanwhile, the Plateau State House of Assembly has summoned the state Commissioner of Finance, Davou Mang, to appear before it on Thursday over the ongoing strike action by labour that has paralysed government activities in the past seven days.
This decision was taken on Tuesday, when the House deliberated on matters affecting the wellbeing of the people.
Government activities in Plateau has been halted by the state’s branch of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), following failure of government to clear the six months salary arrears of civil servants, as well as pension and gratuity.
Union officials locked gates to the State Ministries, Parastatals and Agencies, with officials using horsewhips to chase workers out of their offices, just as top government functionaries were not allowed access to their offices. As the drama unfolded, armed security operatives stood by to prevent a break down of law and order in Jos, the state capital.
Celebration of the May Day in Plateau State was low-keyed, following the nonpayment of salary arrears that kept workers at home as they prepared to embark on the strike action after the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum.
The State’s NLC Chairman, Jibrin Bancir, told newsmen that trauma and anguish are the dividends of democracy workers received during the Governor Jonah Jang administration.
“There is no doubt that our future has been destroyed by a few, who don’t care about the workers welfare,” he said.
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