Edo: Court declines request to freeze govt’s accounts

A Federal High Court in Abuja has declined a request by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) for an order freezing the accounts of the Edo Government over its alleged refusal to pay the outstanding salaries and entitlements of court workers.

JUSUN had also prayed the court to order the confiscation of what was due to Edo State from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).

In a ruling on Thursday, Justice Okon Abang held that the request made ex-parte by the national headquarters of JUSUN was capable of crippling the activities of the state before the coming governorship election.

Justice Abang noted that the motion, “ coming less than a month before the governorship election scheduled for September 19 is designed to cripple governance in the state.”

The judge was of the view that the motion was filed in bad faith and that he reasonably believed that those behind it had ulterior motive.

While holding that the application was lacking in merit, the judge described it as “vague” for failing to disclose the amount the union members were being owed by the state government.

The judge said the action was an abuse of court process.

He dismissed the application and adjourned further proceedings in the case against the other states to September 30.