The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a ₦990 trillion lawsuit filed by Mr. Tunde Omosebi against the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), citing the case as “incomprehensible” and lacking any reasonable cause of action.
Delivering the judgment on Wednesday, Justice James Omotosho ruled that the case, which also included several high-ranking public officials and banks as co-defendants, failed to meet the standards of a fundamental rights suit and did not raise any valid legal claims.
Omosebi had sued CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso as the 1st defendant, along with the chief executives of UBA, GTB, and Zenith Bank as the 2nd to 4th defendants. Also joined in the suit were Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, among others.
In a bizarre set of claims, Omosebi, who referred to himself as “His Majesty,” the “Chairman of the Federal Executive Council,” and “Prime Minister of Nigeria,” demanded ₦990 trillion as compensation for “traumatic torture” and fundamental rights violations. He also asked the court to convert the CBN to the “Reserve Bank of Nigeria” and award him ₦5 million as cost of suit.
Justice Omotosho said, “This court painstakingly read the reliefs and all the processes of the plaintiff, and the more the court read, the more the court became confused as to what exactly the plaintiff was claiming.”
The court found that the suit lacked any coherent legal basis, had no supporting evidence of financial wrongdoing, and failed to demonstrate any injury suffered by the claimant. Omosebi had also added dozens of new defendants—including all airlines operating in Nigeria—without court approval, further complicating the case.
Due to the frivolous and erratic nature of the case, Justice Omotosho issued a restraining order barring Omosebi from filing any future legal processes unless through a certified legal practitioner or with a medical clearance confirming his mental fitness from the Chief Medical Officer of the National Hospital.
The court also directed all registries of the Federal High Court not to accept any filings from Omosebi that do not meet these conditions.
Reacting to the judgment, Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) present in court commended the judge for his detailed ruling. Ikechukwu Ezechukwu, SAN, likened the lawsuit to “Onitsha Market literature,” while Sanusi Musa, SAN, urged the National Assembly to consider amending laws to prevent such frivolous cases.
What you should know
The Federal High Court has not only dismissed Omosebi’s ₦990 trillion claim against the CBN as baseless but also barred him from initiating further lawsuits without proper legal or medical clearance. The judgment underscores the judiciary’s stance against misuse of court processes.
