by Jennifer Yusuf
It was a drama of some sort Tuesday at the Enugu headquarters of the United Bank for Africa, UBA as bailiffs from Federal High Court, Enugu stormed the bank premises located at the Station Road in Okpara Avenue, with stern-looking policemen to enforce court judgment against the bank.
It was gathered that the presence of the bailiffs and the policemen caused no small a stir as soon as they announced that they were in the bank to take possession.
This made staff and customers to run in different directions to remove their vehicles and other belongings in the bank premises to avoid being trapped.
Subsequently, the bailiffs locked all the entrances to the banking hall and three gates leading to the bank premises with an inscription “possession taken by Court Order FHC/EN/M/339/2010”.
One of the bailiffs who spoke on condition of anonymity said that they were in the Bank to enforce the judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Enugu, delivered sometimes in 2012 which awarded five million naira against the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and United Bank for Africa, UBA for human right violation of one Eric Emeka Onoh, a security staff of the UBA, Enugu branch stripped naked at the banking hall.
It was also gathered that the judgment was delivered by Justice Dorothy Agishi in a suit No. FHC/EN/M/339/2010 between EFCC and UBA as defendants and Eric Emeka Onoh as the applicant.
Onoh had through his council Awforkansi Nnadiume sought the relief of the court on whether the applicant has any right that is protected by Nigeria constitution.
He also asked the court to determine whether the right was infringed upon by the respondents and if the court rules that this right is infringed upon by the respondents, is the applicant entitled to the remedies of one billion naira which he was claiming.
The applicant sought an order for the opening of his Account at Diamond Bank which the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC arbitrary froze. In the application, Onoh asked the court to declare that the torture meted on him by the EFCC on mere suspicion breached his fundamental rights.
But in her judgment, the court held that the applicant (Onoh) has a legal right protected by law and after analyzing the submissions of both the Applicant and Respondents. The court found that the right of the applicant was infringed upon by all the respondents because of the applicant mentioned in graphic details the roles played by each of the respondents in traumatizing him.
The court noted that the respondents did not deny all the allegations made by the applicant in their submissions.
The court also awarded compensational damage of five million naira (N5m) against the respondents jointly and severally and further ordered that the applicant’s account is frozen in Diamond Bank be opened.
Justice Agishi, however, regretted non-inclusion of the police in the matter.
However, the enforcement order is coming after the Appeal Court sitting in Enugu had dismissed the UBA appeal which seeks to set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court.
