Following his alleged refusal of the CBN governor to comply with the order that extended the deadline for the use of the old N200, N500, and N1000 banknotes as valid legal tender, three northern states, Kogi, Kaduna, and Zamfara, have instituted contempt proceedings against the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, at the Supreme Court.
The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele, also joined the contempt action.
In the two sets of Form 48 they filed with the Supreme Court, the three states warned both Malami and Emefiele of the consequences of their continued defiance of the interim order issued by the court on February 6, which halted the full implementation of the CBN’s new monetary policy.
Form 48, which was already served on both the AGF and the CBN Governor, stated specifically: “Take notice that unless you obey the direction contained in the attached Order of the Supreme Court of Nigeria delivered on the 3rd day of February 2023, you will be guilty of contempt of Court and will be committed to prison.”