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LG funds: Court Bars UBA From Further Transactions with APC Chairmen
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- Upholds Bench Warrant Issued to Senior UBA Officials
- Accord Condemns Attack on Judge
An Osun State Magistrate Court Sitting in Osogbo, on Tuesday restrained the United Bank of Africa (UBA) from conducting any business transaction with any individual parading themselves as Chairmen of local government councils across Osun State until the final determination of the ongoing criminal trial involving 4 senior officials of the bank.
Magistrate Adeyeba while delivering the ruling noted that for the interest of the public and to prevent further perpetration of any criminal act involving public funds, UBA has been restrained from given recognition to any individual or group of individuals from opening, maintaining and operating any account for/on behalf of any local government councils in Osun State.
Recall that on the 30th January, 2026, the Magistrate court issued a bench warrant to top officials of the UBA namely; Group Managing Director (Oliver Alawuba), Group Legal Adviser (Billy Odura), and Deputy Managing Director (Chukwuma Nweke) on the allegation for failing to honor court summons regarding the alleged illegal operation of accounts for Osun Local Government Councils.
Appearing for the defendants, H.B Williams, argued that the defendants who failed to appear in court had filed an application at the High Court to quash the ongoing criminal case proceeding at the Magistrate court. He further argued that until the hearing and determination of the case, the Magistrate should stay proceedings of the criminal case.
In response, Abiodun Badiora, appearing for the Osun State Government presented that an appeal has been entered with case number CA/AK/17/2026 and has been duly served which in effect, the Osun State High Court has adjourned the case indefinitely. He went further to posit under section 301 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Osun State 2025, staying of criminal proceedings has been totally prohibited and abolished. He submitted further that once an order has been appealed against, compliance with it is in abeyance until the appeal is finally disposed of.
He also applied that while the criminal proceeding continues, he urged the court to stop UBA and her officials from committing further crime by restraining the bank from further conducting any business dealings with any individual or group of individuals parading themselves as Chairmen of local government councils in Osun State.
The Magistrate at the end of today’s proceedings granted the State Government’s request to bind UBA from further dealing with any individual with respect to Osun local government funds pending the final conclusion of the criminal trial involving UBA and its officials.
Furthermore, he ruled that the criminal charge be continued and adjourned to February 28th, 2026.
Meanwhile, Accord, Osun State chapter has condemned APC and one of its lawyer, Saka Layonu, SAN for attempting to disrupt court proceeding and disrespecting Magistrate Adeyeba within the court premises.
Accord Chairman, Pastor Victor Akande in a statement on Tuesday described the incident as a brazen assault on the bench and impunity taken too far.
He thereafter call on the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and the Body of Benchers to investigate and sanctions Mr Layonu appropriately.
The statement reads, “The Accord has strongly defended the Magistrate A. A. Adeyeba ruling on the ongoing criminal case against the United Bank for Africa (UBA) and condemned contempt against the bench by Saka Layonu, SAN who openly threatened the magistrate at the court today.
“The Accord described the brazen assault on the bench as impunity taken too far coming from a senior member of the bar and called for the initiation of a disciplinary action as quickly as possible.
“The party noted the long list of barefaced violations of the law by the Osun state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and was alarmed that the party could be that shameless to extend its serial violations and breaches of the law and the constitution to the bench.
“Accord reviewed the proceedings and concluded that what the UBA and the APC called on the magistrate to do was to violate Section 306 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, by stepping down an ongoing criminal case.
“According to the party, the magistrate would have erred in law by staying the criminal proceedings because of a supposed case on warrant of arrest in another court, declaring that the judge complied with the law and conformed with compliance requirements.
“Accord submitted that It is a settled rule in Nigerian law that where both a criminal and a civil action arise from the same set of facts, the criminal case generally takes precedence.
“Any abiding courts would refuse to stay criminal proceedings simply because a related civil suit is pending, as seen in various Supreme Court of Nigeria rulings.
“Under Section 306 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, an application for a stay of proceedings in a criminal matter shall not be entertained to prevent defendants from using interlocutory appeals to stall cases for years.
“The party further submitted that if there is any person that should face disciplinary procedures, it should be Dr Layonu SAN who openly and brazenly threatened a Magistrate that was only doing her statutory job.
“We call on the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and the Body of Benchers to investigate and sanctions Mr Layonu, a senior lawyer who threw caution to the wind and who almost disrupted court proceedings.”, the state chairman of Accord , Pastor Akande noted.
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