Federal High Court moves to enforce police N100.1m judgment debt
Central Bank Ordered to Justify Retention of Judgment Debt Funds
OSOGBO, Nigeria — A Federal High Court has mandated the Central Bank of Nigeria to provide justification for withholding funds associated with a judgment debt of 100.1 million naira, intended to settle liabilities owed to the Nigeria Police and other respondents.
The ruling, issued on Wednesday by Justice Adefunmilola Demi-Ajayi, follows a motion filed by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) and its chairman, Hasim Abioye. The court was approached to enforce a prior judgment, delivered in November 2025, which awarded damages against the Nigeria Police Force and other involved parties.
That earlier ruling mandated the payment of 100 million naira in damages along with 100,000 naira in costs due to actions taken against the electoral body prior to the local government election on February 22, 2025, in Osun State.
In the latest proceedings, the applicants’ attorney, I.T. Tewogbade, submitted an ex parte motion requesting the court compel payment of the outstanding judgment sum. The application sought a garnishee order targeting accounts held at the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The applicants requested that “the amount standing to the credit of the judgment debtors… sufficient to satisfy the judgment debt of 100 million naira and a cost of 100,000 naira be paid to the judgment creditors.” They also sought to include funds from the Federal Government’s Treasury Single Account in the enforcement of the judgment.
After reviewing the submissions, Justice Demi-Ajayi granted the requests and issued an order nisi against the Central Bank, directing the institution to explain why the funds should not be released.
The original judgment debt stems from a suit challenging the sealing of OSSIEC offices and the arrest of its staff by police authorities prior to the local election. In the earlier decision, the court deemed the police’s actions unlawful, stating that no legal basis existed for their intervention in the electoral process.
