There was pandemonium on Monday at the high courts in Lagos State as lawyers and litigants were unable to file their court processes using the old naira notes for payment.

Officials at the high court registries rejected the old naira notes, saying banks were no longer accepting them as legal tender.

The development brings a new twist to the lingering naira crisis the country is grappling with.

Account officers at both the Lagos Island and Ikeja high court registries insisted that new naira notes should be paid by lawyers and litigants, explaining that their attempts to pay old naira notes collected from court users into the government account were denied banks.

A staff at the Ikeja High Court registry, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorised to speak on the matter, said they received a directive from their boss to stop collecting old notes because when they took old notes collected from court users to four different banks, namely FCMB, Polaris, UBA, and Fidelity, they rejected the old money.

The court official noted that, henceforth, lawyers and litigants must come with only the new naira notes.

One of the affected lawyers, who spoke to The PUNCH on the phone but didn’t want his name in print, said the registry at Osborne Division of Lagos High Court rejected the old notes and turned him back from filling his processes.

He lamented that the order of the Supreme Court that the old naira notes should remain in circulation was being ignored.

“Non-acceptance of old notes would be a catastrophe to the nation. The highest court in the land, Supreme Court, order is being flouted with impunity. It is obvious that the CBN, especially the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, is ready to impose a state of anarchy on Nigeria by directing banks against the order of the apex court.”

The Supreme Court had on February 8, 2023, made an interim order, restraining the CBN from going ahead with the enforcement of its February 10, deadline for the use of the old naira note.

A seven-member panel of the court, led by John Okoro, gave the order of interim injunction amid an acute scarcity of the newly redesigned N200, N500, and N1,000 currency notes.

Last December, the CBN introduced the new notes amid efforts to fight corruption, terrorism, counterfeiting and related crimes.

However, Nigerians have had a hard time getting the new notes amid scarcity and rising tension across the country.



https://punchng.com/courts-reject-old-naira-notes-turn-lawyers-litigants-back/

When even the courts ignore the supreme court's ruling, you just know that the supreme court under the apc govt have lost all respect and reverence

apache22b:
My heartfelt pity goes to all these unrepentant Peter Obi and his Obidient's urchins thinking their Grand Master of lies and deceit will rule this Country when an able bodied, intelligent, vibrant and well educated man who has travelled far and wide and also well experienced is on the same ballot

Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a man who cannot be faulted in anyway, with his wealth of experience and all he has done for Nigeria and some Nigerians , Trust me my fellow youths, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the only man who has the capacity and energy to take this beautiful Country to greater heights and not Peter Obi and his Obidient's urchins who are known for their false figures, lies and propaganda.

My fellow youths and all Nigerian students, now is the time to take back your Country and only Bola Ahmed Tinubu can do this for us .He is the best among the rest , he's the most experienced, the most energetic, the most compassionate,the most patriotic and the best man for the Job. He has fought tirelessly for this Country even back in the military regime.

Let's all vote Bola Ahmed Tinubu for President if you want the best for Nigeria

Bola Ahmed Tinubu deserves to be our President

My fellow youths rise up and shine

where did Tinubu travel to , he only goes for a medical check up. packaged criminal.

Common sense should make people to understand that CBN and the commercial banks where not party to the case else their judgement doesn't affect the Apex bank and commercial banks