An Abuja High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has mandated Zenith Bank Plc and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to pay ₦60 million in general damages—alongside ₦25 million in litigation costs—for illegally placing a restriction on a customer’s account. The financial institution and law enforcement agency relied on an invalid order issued by a magistrate court that lacked the legal authority to freeze banking accounts.
Presiding Judge, Justice S. U. Bature, directed Zenith Bank to immediately lift the Post-No-Debit (PND) restriction on the account, which belongs to the law firm Abhulimen & Co. and is maintained at its Maitama branch in Abuja. Furthermore, the court instructed the bank and the police to issue a public apology to the law firm across two prominent national newspapers as well as on Zenith Bank’s official website.
The ruling stems from a suit (FCT/HC/CV/2194/2024) filed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Paulyn O. Abhulimen on behalf of her firm. She stated that she discovered her account had been frozen in early 2024, after which a bank official revealed that the restriction was executed on March 13, 2024, following an ex-parte order obtained by the NPF from a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Mararaba Gurku, Nasarawa State.
In evaluating the case, Justice Bature emphasized that the Magistrate Court in Nasarawa State had no jurisdiction over an Abuja-based bank account and Abuja-domiciled parties. The judge criticized Zenith Bank’s legal team for failing to scrutinize the order, noting that as legal practitioners, they ought to have known that banking disputes fall under higher court jurisdictions and should not have complied with the magistrate’s directive.
The court further condemned the bank for failing to inform its customer about the account freeze, terming the lack of notification a direct violation of the fiduciary duty owed in a banker-customer relationship. Highlighting the financial distress, psychological trauma, and severe embarrassment inflicted on the law firm, Justice Bature awarded ₦60 million in general damages and ₦25 million in legal costs against both Zenith Bank and the Nigeria Police Force.
