Courts In Lagos reject Old Naira Notes For Processing Fees

 Courts In Lagos reject Old Naira Notes For Processing Fees There was drama on Monday at the High Courts in Lagos State as lawyers and litig...

 Courts In Lagos reject Old Naira Notes For Processing Fees

There was drama on Monday at the High Courts in Lagos State as lawyers and litigants could not file their court processes using the old naira notes for payment because the court officials rejected the notes, saying the banks no longer accept them as legal tender.

It was gathered that the account officers at the Lagos Island and Ikeja High Court registries insisted that new naira notes should be paid by lawyers and litigants, explaining that their attempts to deliver old naira notes collected from court users into the government account were denied by banks.

According to an anonymous staff member, they were directed by their boss to stop collecting old notes because when they took old notes collected from court users to four different banks, namely FCMB, Polaris, UBA, and Fidelity, the old money was rejected.

Henceforth, the court official noted that lawyers and litigants must come with only the new naira notes.

One of the affected lawyers, who spoke to PUNCH over the phone but did not want his name printed, said the registry at the Osborne Division of the Lagos High Court rejected the old notes and prevented him from proceeding with his processes.

He bemoaned the fact that the Supreme Court's order to keep the old naira notes in circulation was being disregarded.

“Non-acceptance of old notes would be a catastrophe to the nation. The highest court in the land, Supreme Court, order is being flouted with impunity. It is obvious that the CBN, especially the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, is ready to impose a state of anarchy on Nigeria by directing banks against the order of the apex court.”

The Supreme Court had on February 8, 2023, made an interim order, restraining the CBN from going ahead with the enforcement of its February 10, deadline for the use of the old naira note.

A seven-member panel of the court, led by John Okoro, gave the order of interim injunction amid an acute scarcity of the newly redesigned N200, N500, and N1,000 currency notes.

Last December, the CBN introduced the new notes amid efforts to fight corruption, terrorism, counterfeiting and related crimes.

However, Nigerians have had difficulty getting the new notes amid scarcity and rising tension across the country.