An investigative report has highlighted how questionable court orders obtained in lower courts continue to circulate, despite sanctions and judicial directives meant to stop the practice. The report traces the issue to the case of Chioma Okoli, whose Facebook comment led to her harassment and later the demotion of a Nasarawa magistrate for acting outside his jurisdiction.
The investigation details multiple instances where court orders were allegedly issued without proper service, evidence or jurisdiction, including directives to reverse or freeze bank transactions. In one case, a journalist obtained an order reversing a fictitious N300,000 transfer without providing proof of any transaction. “Anything you want the order to say, it will say,” a source told FIJ.
Despite rulings by high courts and directives from the Nasarawa Judicial Service Commission barring magistrates from issuing bank-related orders, the practice persists. Legal experts cited systemic lapses and warned that such orders undermine due process. FIJ said its findings show that, for a fee, court orders can still be procured in defiance of existing safeguards.