The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed a N400 million and £159,098 legal fee case filed against Ned Nwoko Solicitors, ruling that the matter falls outside the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court.
The case stemmed from a disagreement over a foreign debt recovery contract involving the Oyo State Government.
In a unanimous decision delivered on Wednesday, Justice Abba Bello Mohammed held that the Federal High Court lacked the legal authority to handle disputes arising from “simple contracts.” The judgment effectively voided the earlier ruling by the lower court, which had allowed the case to proceed.
The appellants in the case included Ned Nwoko Solicitors, Lillian Ngozichukwu Nwoko, Hon. Chinedu Munir Nwoko, and Lina’s International Limited, while the respondents were Femi Kehinde, the Oyo State Government, the Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Ministry of Finance, and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Lead counsel for the appellants, J.C. Njinkonye, SAN, argued that the Federal High Court’s jurisdiction is clearly defined by statute and does not extend to civil disputes over private contractual agreements. He maintained that the case should have been filed at a State High Court. In contrast, counsel for Kehinde, S.N. Asadu, urged the Appeal Court to uphold the earlier decision, insisting that the lower court had acted within its powers.
The News Chronicle gathered that Justice Mohammed, in his ruling, reaffirmed that cases based on simple contracts—agreements entered into for the exchange of services or payments—belong squarely within the jurisdiction of State High Courts. He stressed that any proceeding conducted by a court without proper jurisdiction is legally void, regardless of how well the case is handled.
With this decision, the Appeal Court set aside the Federal High Court’s 2022 ruling by Justice Binta Nyako and struck out the suit for lack of jurisdiction.
According to court documents, the original suit was filed by Hon. Femi Kehinde, who sought N400 million as part of his alleged 40 percent entitlement from the N1 billion reportedly paid to Ned Nwoko Solicitors by the Oyo State Government. He also demanded £159,098 as reimbursement for expenses related to arbitration proceedings in London.
Ned Nwoko Solicitors had challenged the claim from the onset, describing it as baseless and outside the Federal High Court’s purview. Wednesday’s ruling brings a legal end to the dispute, reinforcing the position that contract-related matters must be pursued at the appropriate court level.
