The National Industry Court located in Makurdi, the Benue State capital has just issued a garnishee order mandating the Inspector General of Police to close down branches of Heritage Bank Limited for their failure in paying over 70 million Naira to Shehu Mudi and 656 businesses.
The Industrial Court had ruled that the bank branches across the nation should be sealed off until the bank complies the garnishee order.
The Adamawa State government, the Ministry of Education in Adamawa State, the Post-Primary School Management Board in Adamawa State and the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Adamawa State are all involved in the suit.
According to Suit No: MCN/MKD/07m/ 202, the Presiding Judge, Justice I.J. Essien, had ordered directed the Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, to dispatch police security for the Sheriffs of the Court to be able to carry out the Court order.
Justice Essien’s statement read:
“I have meticulously read the motion and the affidavit and I have appraised the exhibits and the arguments the applicants counsel as highlighted in his written address.”
Previously, the Industrial Court had made an Order Absolute in Exhibit A which mandated the garnishee to reimburse the Judgement sum sought to be stipulated by this particular application in 3 days.
“The garnishee while at the Court of Appeal launched into bond for the judgement sum and allowed during that proceedings that the judgement sum has been put aside to satisfy the debt.” Justice Essien had continued.
“But regardless of the several orders made by this Court and the Court of Appeal, the garnishee had blatantly kept on disobeying the Order of this Court.”
“Lastly, despite the garnishee choosing to pay the Judgement sum to any location in Nigeria, the garnishee (Heritage Bank PLC) will still comply with the Order of the Court of Appeal mandating it to pay to the judgement creditor the sum of N710,969,140.19 which is comprised of the judgement sum and interest sum accumulated from 14/12/2021 to December 2022 of which sum has been put side by the garnishee and party represented by the bond and entered into at the Court of Appeal by the garnishee.”
