The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned all orders that had barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant General of the Federation from releasing funds to the Rivers State government.
A three-member panel, led by Justice Hamman Barka, ruled that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to restrict the release of revenue due to Rivers State. The appellate court allowed Rivers State’s appeal and annulled all prior orders issued by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, describing them as unconstitutional.
Justice Barka stated that the lower court had overstepped its authority by making such rulings and emphasized that restricting the state’s access to its consolidated revenue fund was outside the court’s jurisdiction.
The case began in October when Justice Abdulmalik ruled that Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s receipt and disbursement of monthly allocations since January 2024 violated the Constitution. The judge also criticized Fubara for presenting the state’s 2024 budget to a four-member Rivers House of Assembly, calling it a constitutional breach.
Following that decision, Justice Abdulmalik issued an order preventing the CBN, the Accountant General, and financial institutions such as Zenith Bank and Access Bank from granting the Rivers State government access to funds from the Consolidated Revenue and Federation Account.
The Appeal Court’s decision now restores Rivers State’s ability to receive its due revenue, rejecting the earlier ruling as lacking constitutional basis.
