A Kano state high court has restrained the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the accountant-general of federal (AGF) and the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) from withholding funds for the 44 LGAs in the state.
Ibrahim Musa-Muhammad, the presiding judge, granted the interim order on Wednesday while ruling on an ex parte application brought by Ibrahim Muhammed, chair of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and five others.
Counsels to the applicants, Bashir Yusuf-Muhammad and Usman Bala-Salisu, expressed concerns over the possible withholding or delay of allocations essential for local governance in the state.
The court granted the application restraining the 45th and 46th respondents either by themselves, their agents, officers, privies, representatives 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 pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice”.
Musa-Muhammad also granted the applicants permission to serve the court processes on the 45th, 46th and 47th respondents by substituted service.
The court adjourned the matter until November 21, for hearing the motion on notice.
The other respondents are Ibrahim Shehu, Ibrahim Abubakar, Usman Isa, Sarki Kurawa and Usman Imam.
The respondents are the AGF, the 45th defendant; CBN, the 46th defendant; RMAFC, the 47th defendant; the 44 Kano LGAs; United Bank for Africa; Access Bank; and six other commercial banks.