United Bank for Africa (UBA) is facing mounting legal pressure over a N7.448 billion judgment debt involving the Benue State Government, with the judgment creditors reportedly pursuing contempt proceedings against the bank’s Managing Director, Oliver Alawuba, and other senior executives over alleged failure to comply with a court order.

Readership NG reports that the dispute centres on a Garnishee Order Absolute issued by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja Judicial Division, on December 4, 2025, directing UBA to pay N7,448,113,025.42 to Bizplus Consulting Services Limited and Mauritz Walton Limited through their solicitors within 24 hours of being served with the order.

According to a copy of the court order obtained by Readership NG, Justice Bello Kawu made absolute the Garnishee Order Nisi issued against UBA on November 18, 2025. The bank was listed as the 17th garnishee in the proceedings.

The judgment creditors had instituted the garnishee proceedings against the Government of Benue State and the state’s Attorney-General, seeking to recover the judgment debt from funds belonging to the state government and held by financial institutions.

The proceedings involved 22 garnishees, comprising 20 commercial banks, the Minister of Finance and the Accountant-General of the Federation. However, the court discharged the other garnishees, leaving UBA as the only institution against which the payment order was made absolute.

A key aspect of the ruling was the court’s examination of the Benue State Government’s Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC)/Treasury Single Account domiciled with UBA.

The court identified the account as number 100722383870 and stated that it had a balance of N2,093,222,436.25 as of November 18, 2025, when the Garnishee Order Nisi was served on the bank.

Justice Kawu, however, noted that Benue State’s October 2025 FAAC allocation had subsequently been paid into the account. The order also covered future inflows into the account to the extent necessary to satisfy the judgment debt.

Based on the evidence before it, the court held that the account was sufficiently funded as of December 1, 2025, to satisfy the full N7.448 billion judgment debt.

The judge consequently directed UBA to remit the entire sum to the judgment creditors through their solicitors within 24 hours of being served with the Garnishee Order Absolute.

The ruling also addressed the Benue State Government’s pending appeals and application for a stay of proceedings. Justice Kawu held that the existence of the appeals and the pending application did not, in themselves, prevent the garnishee proceedings from continuing.

In reaching that decision, the court relied on previous appellate decisions, including Sterling Bank Plc v. Kal Vegas Kapuchino Ltd & Anor (2021) LPELR-56472(CA) and Dangote Cement Plc v. Ekeson Salins Oil & Gas Ltd & Ors (2024) LPELR-62744(CA).

However, subsequent developments indicate that the dispute has continued at the appellate level. Reports on proceedings connected to the case identify appeals before the Court of Appeal in Abuja, including Appeal Nos. CA/ABJ/CV/1712/2025 and CA/ABJ/CV/1713/2025.

In an affidavit filed in a separate suit at the Federal High Court, Bizplus alleged that an attempt to enforce the garnishee order at UBA on September 4, 2026, was halted after the bank objected, citing a Court of Appeal directive requiring parties to maintain the status quo.

The reported development introduces an important legal dimension to the dispute, as the precise scope and effect of the appellate directive are relevant to the ongoing enforcement efforts.

Despite the developments, Mauritz Walton Limited alleges that UBA has failed to comply with the December 2025 payment directive and is pursuing further legal measures against the bank and some of its senior executives.

A report by BusinessDay on November 2, 2026, said the judgment creditors had activated contempt proceedings against Alawuba and other senior executives over the alleged failure to comply with the court’s directive.

The report also disclosed that the creditors were pursuing applications seeking the attachment of UBA’s headquarters and other branches in Abuja as part of efforts to enforce the judgment.

Speaking on the dispute, Maurice Ibe, Group Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mauritz Walton Limited, said the company remained committed to pursuing all available legal options to recover the judgment debt.

Ibe said the company’s legal team was exploring enforcement measures in Nigeria, while lawyers in the United Kingdom and the United States had also been briefed to examine possible legal avenues for attaching UBA’s assets in those jurisdictions. He also indicated that the company intended to report the bank’s alleged conduct to relevant regulatory authorities.

For UBA, the dispute presents a significant legal and reputational challenge, particularly in view of the December 2025 court order and the subsequent disagreements over its enforcement.

Readership NG also made several attempts to obtain UBA’s response to the allegations by contacting an official in the bank’s Media and External Relations Department. However, the official neither answered nor returned the calls despite repeated attempts to reach him as of press time.