The Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri has delivered a landmark judgment affirming that Ecobank Nigeria Limited acted unlawfully in restricting a customer’s account without a court order.

It described the bank’s actions as a gross violation of customer rights and a breach of fiduciary duty.

The judgment arose from an appeal filed by Ecobank against a decision of the trial court, which had earlier ruled in favour of the Respondent, its customer, and awarded N10 million in general damages.

Justice Ntong Ntong, who delivered the lead judgment, agreed with the lower court’s findings but reduced the damages to N5 million, deeming the original sum excessive in light of the evidence presented.

In resolving the first issue, Justice Ntong emphasised that no bank has the power to freeze or restrict a customer’s account without a valid court order, regardless of internal policies or compliance procedures such as the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Know Your Customer, KYC, regulations.

The court held that while Ecobank claimed it acted under regulatory obligations after a $65,000 cash deposit raised red flags, it failed to demonstrate that such compliance required unilateral restriction of the account.

It cited relevant precedents, including FBN v. DKN Investments Ltd and GTB v. Joshua, to reinforce the principle that banking institutions must operate within the confines of the law, warning against the use of internal policies to override constitutional rights.

On the second issue, the appellate court found that Ecobank had no legal or contractual basis to assert a right of lien over $10,000 in the respondent’s account, which was allegedly owed to a foreign trading partner, Unique International Trading Ltd.

The bank had argued that it restricted the funds to protect itself from potential litigation threatened by the trading firm.

However, the court ruled that Ecobank’s reliance on the threat of legal action by a third party could not justify the exercise of any lien, especially in the absence of any contractual agreement or court order to that effect.

“Self-help has no place in the civilized world,” the court warned, rejecting the bank’s justification as “misconceived and untenable in law.”

On the final issue, it affirmed that Ecobank had breached its duty of care by unlawfully restricting access to the customer’s funds and dishonouring cheques.

However, it found no sufficient evidence to support the customer’s claim of lost business and goodwill due to the restriction.

Accordingly, the appellate court reduced the general damages from N10 million to N5 million, emphasising that while there was a breach warranting compensation, the initial sum was excessive.

A tanker without a registration number carrying fifteen thousand litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) has tumbled in Iseyin in Oyo State.

Ekwutosblog gathered that the incident occurred at Odo-Igba, Iseyin – Saki Road in Iseyin, on Sunday.

The tanker was said to have lost control whilst on motion, swerved off the road and fell into a nearby ditch.

The accident reportedly caused a traffic gridlock but the Chairman of Oyo State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, who confirmed the incident in a statement said normalcy has been restored on the road.

“It was a trailer tanker with unknown registered no loaded with 15,000litres capacity of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), that lost control whilst on motion and swerved off the road into a nearby ditch.

The firemen quickly swung into action and applied chemical foam compound to neutralize the flammability of the content and prevented it from explosion.

“The normal vehicular movement has been restored back on the road”.

By our reporter

A passenger aboard an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos has been remanded in Kirikiri Correctional Centre after allegedly assaulting multiple airline crew members and attempting to attack airport security personnel.

The accused, identified as Comfort Emmanson, was arraigned before a Lagos court following a violent altercation that occurred during and after the flight. According to reports, the incident began when Emmanson refused to switch off her mobile phone before take-off, despite repeated safety instructions from the cabin crew.

Tensions escalated mid-flight and, upon arrival in Lagos, the situation turned physical. Emmanson allegedly attacked the flight’s purser—stepping on her, tearing off her wig and glasses, and repeatedly slapping her in front of other passengers. She then reportedly assaulted another crew member who attempted to intervene.

Witness accounts and official statements indicate that the accused tried to seize a fire extinguisher, apparently to use it as a weapon, before airport security intervened. However, she allegedly assaulted the security personnel as well, causing further disruption at the arrival gate.

Following the incident, Ibom Air issued a formal complaint to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and placed Emmanson on its no-fly list, effectively banning her from future travel on the airline. The NCAA has also condemned the act and reiterated its zero-tolerance stance on unruly passenger behavior, warning of stiffer penalties for those who compromise flight safety.

Tunde Moshood, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, confirmed the court’s ruling, saying the accused is now “cooling off in Kirikiri.”

The case has reignited discussions about passenger discipline, aviation safety, and the urgent need for stricter enforcement of Nigeria’s civil aviation regulations.