Court bars CBN and accountant-general from withholding Kano LG funds

A Kano State High Court has issued an interim order restraining the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), and the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) from withholding or delaying monthly funds allocated to Kano’s 44 local government areas (LGAs).

Ibrahim Musa-Muhammad, the presiding judge, issued the ruling on Wednesday in response to an ex parte application filed by Ibrahim Muhammed, chair of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), alongside five other applicants. Represented by counsels Bashir Yusuf-Muhammad and Usman Bala-Salisu, the applicants expressed concern that delays or potential withholding of funds could disrupt local governance operations in Kano State.

The court order bars the 45th and 46th respondents from “refusing to disburse or delaying to disburse, deferring or suspending the monthly allocation or in any way tampering with the allocation from the federation account to the 44 LGAs” until the full hearing on the matter, set for November 21.

Additionally, the court granted the applicants permission to serve court documents on the AGF, CBN, and RMAFC by substituted service. The other respondents in the case include the 44 Kano LGAs, United Bank for Africa, Access Bank, and six additional commercial banks.