- A Nigerian lady sued a commercial bank over unlawful account freezing, claiming they refused to comply with a court judgment.
- A lady’s bank account was frozen over a ₦3,500 payment for chicken sold in 2020, as revealed in a lengthy post on her X account.
A Nigerian lady has taken to social media to accuse a well-known commercial bank of allegedly disobeying a court ruling after she won a legal battle against the institution over the unlawful freezing of her account.
In a detailed post on her X (formerly Twitter) handle, the woman explained that her account was frozen following a ₦3,500 transaction — money she received in 2020 for the sale of chicken. She claimed the bank secured an ex-parte order to freeze her account without informing her or providing any explanation.
She said the sudden restriction left her financially incapacitated for months, forcing her to take legal action.
After examining the case, the court ruled that the bank’s action was unjustified and awarded her damages. However, instead of complying with the court’s decision, she alleged that the bank opted to challenge the ruling by filing an appeal at a higher court.
The lady’s public post has since sparked conversations about customers’ rights and the misuse of legal instruments like ex-parte orders by financial institutions.
Expressing her discontent, she stated:
“For 11 whole months, @FirstBankNG froze my account — not because I committed fraud, not because I owed them money, but because of ₦3,500. Yes, ₦3,500 — money paid for chicken I sold back in 2020.”
“That tiny amount was the reason my life was turned upside down. No call. No warning. Just silence and sudden financial suffocation. One day, I tried to use my account and found it locked.”
She elaborated further:
“They had secured an ex-parte order to freeze it without notifying me, without giving me a chance to speak, and without any form of explanation.”
“I was treated as guilty before I could even defend myself — like my basic rights meant nothing. So, I did what any citizen with sense and dignity would do: I went to court. And the court agreed with me.”
“The judge ruled the freeze was unlawful and ordered them to pay damages — a laughable amount that couldn’t even cover my legal fees. But did First Bank accept the verdict and move on? No. They filed an appeal — all this over ₦3,500.”
She criticized the bank for expending millions on legal fees rather than simply adhering to the court’s decision.
“They would rather waste time, resources, and shareholder funds than admit they were wrong and pay what the court ordered.”
The lady further insisted that the bank withdraw its appeal, pay the damages, and called upon the Central Bank of Nigeria (@CBNNigeria) to address the misuse of ex-parte orders by commercial banks.
“This isn’t just about me,” she said.
“If First Bank can treat me like this, they can treat anyone the same. No business owner is safe. No salary earner is safe. No Nigerian is safe. If this bank can freeze your account without warning, ignore a court’s ruling, and try to drag you into silence, what protection do the rest of us have?”
She concluded her statement with a resolute promise to persist in her advocacy until justice is achieved:
“Every day this senseless appeal continues, I’ll share another story, another failure, another victim of First Bank’s cruelty. They think this will blow over. They’re wrong.”
