The Benue State Government is facing fresh pressure over a ₦7.448 billion judgment debt after an enforcement operation against United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc triggered the shutdown of several of the bank’s branches in Abuja, raising the prospect of continued disruption to banking services in the new week.
The development follows a prolonged legal dispute involving the Benue State Government, Mauritz Walton Limited and Bizplus Consulting Services Limited, in which UBA was joined as a garnishee bank over funds belonging to the state government.
Several UBA branches in the Federal Capital Territory have reportedly remained shut since Friday, October 23, 2026, after masked, gun-wielding security operatives stormed the banking premises and ordered customers and staff members out of the banking halls.
The enforcement action is connected to a ₦7,448,113,025.42 judgment debt awarded against the Benue State Government by the FCT High Court in Abuja.
In a judgment delivered on November 17, 2025, Justice Bello Kawu awarded the sum in favour of Bizplus Consulting Services Limited and Mauritz Walton Limited, together with 10 per cent annual interest until the judgment debt is fully liquidated.
Following the judgment, the court issued a Garnishee Order Nisi on November 18, 2025, directing the attachment of funds belonging to the Benue State Government held by several financial institutions, including UBA.
The order was subsequently made absolute against UBA on December 4, 2025, effectively placing the bank under a direct obligation to remit the judgment sum.
BENUE’S FAAC ACCOUNT AT CENTRE OF DISPUTE
The court proceedings identified Account Number 100722383870, described as the Benue State Government FAAC/Treasury Single Account, as being domiciled with UBA.
According to the court, the account had a balance of ₦2,093,222,436.25 when the initial garnishee order was served on November 18, 2025.
Justice Kawu also noted that subsequent FAAC allocations, including the October 2025 allocation, had been paid into the account.
The court held that the account was sufficiently funded to satisfy the judgment debt as of December 1, 2025, and consequently directed UBA to remit ₦7.448 billion to the judgment creditors through their solicitors within 24 hours of service of the order.
The Benue State Government had challenged the proceedings through appeals against the substantive judgment and the Garnishee Order Nisi, alongside an application for stay of execution.
However, Justice Kawu ruled that the pending appeals could not, in themselves, halt the garnishee proceedings against UBA.
Citing previous appellate decisions, including Sterling Bank Plc v. Kal Vegas Kapuchino Ltd & Anor (2021) and Dangote Cement Plc v. Ekeson Salins Oil & Gas Ltd & Ors (2024), the court maintained that an appeal against the judgment being enforced does not automatically operate as a stay of garnishee proceedings.
The December 4 order discharged the other garnishee banks, leaving UBA as the sole financial institution against which the Garnishee Order Absolute was made.
CREDITORS SEEK TO MAKE EXAMPLE OF BANKS
Beyond recovering the judgment debt, the judgment creditors are understood to be using the enforcement action to establish a deterrent against financial institutions allegedly in the habit of frustrating or disregarding valid court orders.
The creditors argue that banks cannot use their position as financial intermediaries to obstruct the enforcement of judicial decisions or frustrate the recovery of legally established debts.
The Group Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mauritz Walton Limited, Dr. Maurice Ibe, said the company had exhausted considerable patience in pursuing the matter and was now determined to ensure compliance with the court’s decisions.
Ibe disclosed that the company had activated contempt proceedings against UBA’s top executives and instructed its lawyers to pursue applications for the attachment of the bank’s headquarters and other branches in Abuja.
He also revealed that the company had briefed legal representatives in the United Kingdom and the United States to explore the possibility of attaching UBA assets and properties in those jurisdictions, as well as reporting the bank’s alleged conduct to relevant regulatory authorities.
The Mauritz Walton chairman further alleged that UBA had previously frustrated the enforcement of a separate judgment obtained against the Ebonyi State Government in December 2021, involving $30 million and ₦20 billion.
He argued that the alleged pattern of resistance to court judgments could undermine investor confidence in Nigeria’s business environment.
UNCERTAINTY OVER BANKING OPERATIONS
The immediate consequence of the enforcement exercise is the disruption of banking services at affected UBA branches, with customers and businesses facing the possibility of further inconvenience if the operation continues on Monday, November 2.
The reported commitment by the operatives to sustain the exercise into the new week suggests that the confrontation may not be over.
For the Benue State Government, the dispute has moved beyond the original judgment debt into a wider question of the enforcement of court decisions involving public funds.
For UBA, the situation presents a significant operational and legal challenge, particularly as the judgment creditors pursue contempt proceedings and additional enforcement measures.
The bank’s response to the reported branch closures and allegations of non-compliance was not available at the time of filing this report. The current status of the Benue State Government’s appeals and any subsequent applications for stay will also be important in determining the next phase of the dispute.
Meanwhile, the possibility of continued enforcement operations in Abuja leaves customers, employees and businesses awaiting clarity over when normal banking services will resume at the affected branches.
