The Federal High Court sitting in Makurdi, Benue State, has granted an interim order restraining the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from paying a ₦4 billion tranche of promissory notes connected to the settlement of compensation claims arising from the 2001 Zaki-Biam massacre.
Justice Joshua Raphael Egbe made the order on Wednesday, 30 September 2026, following an ex parte application by the plaintiffs. The court directed that the subject matter of the suit be preserved pending the hearing of a motion on notice. The plaintiffs had argued that the ₦4 billion tranche was due for payment on 9 October and that the funds could be dissipated if released before the court determined the issues raised in their substantive application.
Counsel to the plaintiffs, Barrister Chris Alashi, explained that the case originated from the military operation in Zaki-Biam and surrounding communities in 2001. The victims initially obtained a judgment of ₦41.8 billion against the Federal Government. After the government appealed, the parties reached an out-of-court settlement that resulted in a consent judgment of ₦8 billion entered by the Court of Appeal. The current dispute, Alashi said, arose from the issuance of promissory notes in respect of that ₦8 billion settlement, with the plaintiffs alleging that persons who were not among the judgment creditors obtained the notes. The first tranche of ₦4 billion was scheduled to mature on 9 October 2026, prompting the urgent application for a preservative order.
Justice Egbe granted the reliefs sought and ordered that the motion on notice be heard within 14 days. Counsel representing the seventh defendant requested time to file a response, while there was no objection from other defence counsel to the court’s decision.
Counsel to the CBN, Professor Chukwuemeka Anyogu, told journalists that the apex bank would comply with whatever order the court made. He stated that the CBN’s role was simply to obey the law and the directives of relevant authorities concerning the payment of promissory notes. “Central Bank has nothing to do with it… All Central Bank will do is obey the law,” he said, adding that the bank was not in a hurry to make the payment while a court embargo remained in place.
The matter was adjourned to 14 October 2026 for hearing of the motion on notice. The Zaki-Biam litigation stems from a military operation in Benue State in October 2001 that followed the alleged killing of 19 soldiers. Victims and survivors later sought compensation through the courts, culminating in the 2007 Federal High Court award that was later reduced to ₦8 billion through negotiations and a consent judgment.
