By John Dike, Osogbo
A Magistrate Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, on Tuesday restrained the United Bank for Africa (UBA) from conducting any business transactions with individuals parading themselves as chairmen of local government councils in the state, pending the final determination of an ongoing criminal trial involving senior officials of the bank.
Delivering the ruling, Magistrate Adeyeba held that, in the interest of the public, and to prevent further alleged criminal activities involving public funds, UBA must refrain from recognising or dealing with any individual or group seeking to open, maintain, or operate accounts for or on behalf of any local government council in Osun State.
The court stressed that the order was necessary to forestall further abuse of public funds while the criminal proceedings against the bank and its officials subsist.
Recall that on January 30, 2026, the Magistrate Court issued a bench warrant against top UBA officials, including the Group Managing Director, Oliver Alawuba; Group Legal Adviser, Billy Odura; and Deputy Managing Director, Chukwuma Nweke, over their alleged failure to honour court summons in connection with the purported illegal operation of accounts for Osun State local government councils.
Counsel to the defendants, H. B. Williams, informed the court that the affected officials had approached the High Court with an application seeking to quash the criminal proceedings at the Magistrate Court. He argued that the lower court should stay proceedings pending the hearing and determination of the application.
However, counsel to the Osun State Government, Abiodun Badiora, countered that an appeal had already been entered with suit number CA/AK/17/2026, which had been duly served. He added that the Osun State High Court had consequently adjourned the matter indefinitely.
Badiora further submitted that, under Section 301 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Osun State, 2025, the staying of criminal proceedings is expressly prohibited and has been abolished.
He also argued that once an order is appealed against, compliance with such order remains in abeyance until the appeal is finally determined.
The state counsel therefore urged the court to restrain UBA and its officials from further dealings with any individual or group parading themselves as local government chairmen in Osun State, to prevent the alleged continuation of criminal conduct involving public funds.
At the conclusion of proceedings, Magistrate Adeyeba granted the application of the Osun State Government, restraining UBA from conducting any business transactions relating to Osun local government funds with such individuals, pending the final conclusion of the criminal trial.
The court also upheld the bench warrant earlier issued against the bank’s senior officials and ordered that the criminal charge should continue.
