George Okoh in Makurdi
Following an Industrial Court order in Makurdi to enforce a judgement against FirstBank Nigeria Limited, activities at the bank were disrupted for over six hours yesterday, leaving customers of the bank stranded.
The customers were shut out of the office from 8:30 am to about 3:10pm when this report was compiled.
The court had given judgment in favour of a former staff of the bank, Ruth Amelia Adah, who alleged she was wrongfully disengaged and asked the bank to pay her over N12.4 million damages.
The judgment which was issued on 12th July, 2017, ordered the bank to pay latest by 16th October, 2017.
It was gathered that the bank was yet to effect payment as at yesterday, a situation which compelled the court to enforce the judgment it delivered.
In its bid to enforce the judgment, staff of the court and policemen flooded the premises of FirstBank, Makurdi as early as 8:30am.
Shortly after they arrived the premises, they went to work by pasting court orders on most of the vehicles with the intention of impounding same.
The court staff made attempts to dismantle the generating set that powers the bank, probably with the aim of crippling the activities of the bank.
The process of enforcement set the bank and officials of the court at edge, even as counsels to the parties in the suit raised accusations and counter accusations against each other during the quarrel that ensued. A staff of the bank in Markudi, believed to be in the legal department, was said to have declined comments when contacted yesterday.
