Federal High Court Orders CBN to Suspend Allocations to Rivers State Government

The Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to stop issuing monthly financial allocations to the Rivers State government.

This ruling was made following a case concerning the state’s governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, who presided over the case, ruled that Governor Fubara’s actions regarding the receipt and management of state funds since January constituted a violation of constitutional procedures.

According to Justice Abdulmalik, the handling of these allocations by the governor could not be allowed to continue. She specifically pointed to Fubara’s recent presentation of the 2024 budget before only four members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, calling it a clear breach of constitutional law.

In her ruling, Justice Abdulmalik highlighted that Fubara’s approval and implementation of an “unlawful” budget represent serious violations of the 1999 Constitution, which the governor is obligated to uphold.

As a result, the court issued an order restraining the CBN, the Accountant General of the Federation, as well as Zenith Bank and Access Bank, from granting Fubara access to funds from the Consolidated Revenue Fund and Federation Accounts.