Court stops Akingbola from paying Access Bank N212bn

Villagers say eight farmers were yesterday feared dead in a fresh attack by suspected herdsmen on two communities in Guma LGA of Benue State.

Daily Trust gathered that suspected herders invaded Angyom and Tse-Usenda villages at about 2 a.m. and started shooting and burning houses.

Police spokesman DSP Daniel Ezeala who confirmed the incident did not speak of any death but the chairman of the council, Frank Usar Adi, confirmed two deaths while villagers said at least eight bodies were recovered in the morning.

The chairman urged the Emir of Awe in Nasarawa State to rid his domain of suspected mercenaries being harboured in the area. It was gathered that the invaded territory is the ancestral home of the paramount ruler of the Tiv people, the Tor-Tiv, Dr. Alfred Torkula. A Lagos High Court yesterday discharged an ex-parte order which ordered former the managing director of the defunct Intercontinental Bank, Ersatus Akingbola, to pay Access Bank £654 million (N212.2 billion) as ordered by a London court.

Presiding judge, Justice Candide-Johnson, discharged the ex-parte order made by another judge of the court, Justice Oyebanji, on the premise that Access Bank’s move contravened provisions of the Reciprocal Enforcement of Judgment Act of 1958 and declared that the Lagos High Court lacked jurisdiction to register the judgment.

In his ruling, the judge said the subject matter of the judgment which was alleged unlawful share purchase initiated by the bank and Akingbola’s breach of statutory duties as director of the defunct bank were matters relating to the provisions of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) which the British judge admitted he relied totally on but which only Nigerian courts and specifically the Federal High Court could properly exercise jurisdiction.