Seven operational accounts of the Adamawa State Government have been frozen by the National Industrial Court sitting in Gombe over non-compliance with an order in a suit instituted against it by creditors.
A case before His Lordship Hon. Justice J.T Agbadu Fishim who is the presiding Judge held at Gombe in a motion No: NICN/YL/OM3/2024 between Mathias Yohanna and others as judgement creditors /Applicant and Adamawa State Government and Attorney General of Adamawa State government were dragged to court as Judgment Debtors.
Seven accounts in the following banks; Zenith Bank, First Bank of Nigeria Ltd, Fidelity Bank Plc and United Bank of Africa as garnishees were affected.
Justice J T Agbadu ordered that in a motion experte date 14th February, 2024, and filed on the 19th of February,2024 brought pursuant to section 83(1) of the sheriff and civil process Act cap 407 LFN,2024;order 51 of the National industrial court of Nigeria civil procedures rules 2017 frozen seven accounts as follows (Zenith Bank);
Adamawa State board of internal revenue remittance account (1010566344), Adamawa state ministry of justice running cost (1011364451), Adamawa State Government Executive Account (1216197331) and Adamawa State Government SRA-Main TSA Account (1011247792).
Other accounts frozen by the national industrial court are; Adamawa State Board of internal revenue (First Bank) with the account number 2015042266, UBA account with Adamawa State joint accounts allocation committees as account name with the following accounts number; 1019849703.
The following account name with Fidelity Bank was also affected; Adamawa board of internal revenue collection allocation account (5030103898).
Justice J T Agbadu in the interim order restrained the Garnishees, by themselves, Branches,privies, employees or however named,called or described from allowing the judgement debtors/respondents or anybody from withdrawing, transferring and/or in any way tampering with the funds in the banks herein stated in the supporting affidavit of Mathias Yohanna, belonging to the judgment debtors/respondents with the Garnishees pending the satisfaction of the said judgement debt.
An order of the national industrial court directing the Garnishees to appear and show cause why an order absolute should not be made against them for the payment of the judgment sum of twelve million, ninety seven thousand, two hundred and sixty three naira forty kobo (N12,097,263.40) only with cost of this proceedings.
You would recall that Mr Mathias Yohanna served the government of Senator Muhammadu Umaru Jibrilla Bindow as the Chief Press Secretary and Senior aides respective dragged Adamawa State Government to court for non payment of his severance, gratuity and furniture allowances.
Counsel to the government creditors (Mathias), Barrister Bala Sanga who was the former Attorney of Adamawa State during the immediate past government of Bindow said the Rt Hon Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri led administrator is unfair to the past government political appointees.
He worried that the government of Fintiri are heady without remorse to obeying simply agreement.
According to him many of the past political appointees entered an agreement with the present administration to pay them their allowances on monthly basis through the state’s Attorney, Mr Jingi Afraimu but failed to honor the contractual agreement.
He said if the previous agreement was honored the state won’t have been facing the current situation of freezing seven of its accounts.