NIGERIA’s premier non-interest financial institution, Jaiz Bank Plc, is facing mounting judicial and regulatory pressure over allegations that it failed to comply with a judgment enforcement order issued by the High Court of Kano State.
News Point Nigeria reports that the dispute stems from a Garnishee Order Absolute granted on January 8, 2026, by the High Court of Kano State in Suit No. K/M1266/2025 between Yahaya Usman, the Judgment Creditor, and the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Judgment Debtor. The order reportedly directed Jaiz Bank to release the judgment sum held in the debtor’s account to the legal representatives of the Judgment Creditor, Bright Attorneys.
The controversy has now escalated following allegations by the Judgment Creditor’s legal team that the bank deliberately failed to comply with the court order and instead adopted tactics aimed at delaying the enforcement of the judgment.
In an official demand notice served on Jaiz Bank’s Tafawa Balewa Road Branch in Kano, counsel to the Judgment Creditor, Usman Umar Fari, Esq., accused the financial institution of deliberately engineering delays to assist the Judgment Debtor.
According to the law firm, the bank employed what it described as “subterfuge” that enabled the Judgment Debtor to file a series of obstructive and frivolous applications before the court.
The legal team further alleged that Jaiz Bank had earlier filed an Affidavit to Show Cause claiming it did not hold any assets belonging to the Judgment Debtor, a position they said the High Court found to be false before issuing the Garnishee Order Absolute.
The lawyers maintained that the legal grounds relied upon by the bank to justify withholding payment had since collapsed after the court dismissed all pending applications filed by the Judgment Debtor.
According to the legal team, the first application seeking to set aside the judgment was dismissed by the court, which also awarded a punitive cost of ₦200,000 in favour of the Judgment Creditor.
They added that a second application seeking a Stay of Execution was equally dismissed on June 26, 2026, with an additional ₦50,000 cost awarded against the Judgment Debtor.
With both applications struck out, the Judgment Creditor insisted that there are no longer any legal impediments preventing Jaiz Bank from complying with the Garnishee Order Absolute.
Following the expiration of a 48-hour ultimatum issued to the bank on July 2, 2026, Bright Attorneys commenced steps to initiate contempt proceedings against the management of Jaiz Bank.
On July 3, 2026, the law firm formally applied to the Registrar of High Court 17, Kano, for the issuance of Form 48, the statutory Notice of Consequences of Disobedience to an Order of Court, against the financial institution.
Beyond the contempt proceedings, the legal team disclosed plans to petition relevant law enforcement agencies and financial regulators over the bank’s alleged conduct.
“We will report the bank and the specific deponents to the relevant law enforcement agencies for lying on oath,” the law firm stated, alleging that the bank’s actions amount to perjury and interference with the administration of justice.
The lawyers also confirmed plans to submit a formal petition to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Bankers’ Committee, seeking disciplinary action against Jaiz Bank over what they described as unethical banking practices capable of undermining the integrity of the judicial process.
According to the legal team, copies of the contempt application and related legal processes have already been forwarded to the Head Office Legal Department of Jaiz Bank Plc and the Registrar of the High Court.
As of the time of filing this report, Jaiz Bank’s corporate communications department and its legal representatives had not issued any official response to the pending Form 48 application or the allegations made against the bank.