KEY POINTS

• A Nigerian court dismissed the ₦1bn suit against the naira redesign because the plaintiff failed to carry out necessary legal actions.
• The plaintiff filed a rights violation complaint and sought both public apology and compensation.
• Justice Ekwo made an order against the plaintiff who relinquished the lawsuit without any cause.

A ₦1 billion lawsuit challenging the naira redesign policy of 2023 targeting former President Muhammadu Buhari along with ex-Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele received dismissal from the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Judge Inyang Ekwo made his ruling on Monday because Uthman Isa Tochukwu demonstrated insufficient effort to pursue his case. The court dismissed the case because Tochukwu failed to attend hearings without legal counsel or provide any reason.

The plaintiff who practiced law presented a case at court which argued that the naira redesign policy broke his basic rights to move freely and maintain his dignity. He stated that cash shortages because of the policy between January and March 2023 blocked him from accessing his bank money which hindered his everyday activities.

Financial compensation naira redesign with an official apology

The lawsuit against Buhari and Emefiele demanded ₦1 billion compensation for the extreme difficulties the naira redesign policy caused to Tochukwu. The plaintiff demanded that the government be forbidden permanently from retaining old ₦200, ₦500 and ₦1000 bills from circulation.

A public apology issued through national newspaper publications remained another request made by the plaintiff to both the former president and CBN governor as part of his legal case.

Defense counsel Mr. Chikelue Amasiani informed the court that the plaintiff and his legal representative failed to appear and failed to pursue their legal case after filing it in 2023.

Based on the provided argument Justice Ekwo dismissed the legal suit because the plaintiff failed to properly pursue the matter.

Court upholds responsibility to maintain judicial efficiency

The court established it will not permit any case to remain inactive forever. A court accepted Amasiani’s application to dismiss the lawsuit and this action terminated all possibilities of legal action regarding naira redesigns and their effect on individual rights.

The court decision made clear plaintiffs need to take action in their legal matters because failure to do so results in losing their right to seek redress.