Examining the propriety of section 84(1) of the Sheriffs and Civil Process Act of Nigeria from the lens of the Supreme Court’s decision in Central Bank of Nigeria v Insterstella Com Ltd

• Citation: (2023) 10(1) Journal of Comparative Law in Africa 169
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.47348/JCLA/v10/i1a7
• Published date: 11 September 2023
• Pages: 169-189
• Author: Eyongndi, D.T.
• Date: 11 September 2023

169 https://doi.org/10.47348/JCLA/v10/i1a7

EXAMINING THE PROPRIETY OF

SECTION 84(1) OF THE SHERIFFS AND

CIVIL PROCESS ACT OF NIGERIA FROM

THE LENS OF THE SUPREME COURT’S

DECISION IN CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA V

INSTERSTELLA COM LTD

David Tarh-Akong Eyongndi*

Oluwakemi Oluyinka Odeyinde**

Abstract

Where a person has litigated a case against anybody or the government and

judgment is given in monetary value, where the judgment debtor fails to voluntarily

settle the judgment sum, the judgment creditor must enforce the judgment. In

enforcing the judgment which is usually via garnishee proceedings, the Sheriff

and Civil Process Act (SCPA) provides that the consent of the Attorney General

(AG) must be sought and obtained once the funds to be used in satisfying the

judgment are in the possession of the public officer. This paper, while underscoring

the rationale for this prerequisite, examines its propriety vis-à-vis the finality of

a court judgment, by adopting doctrinal methodology. It raises the question that

since the AG’s consent is to be sought and same can be denied, what option, if

any, is open to a person after such denial? Can a mandamus be used to compel

the AG to consent, seeing that the giving of consent is not a duty to be performed

but a discretion? The paper argues that this practice amounts to subjugating the

implementation of Court’s determination/decision to the discretion of the AG

which is inimical to the smooth delivery of justice. It may undermine the sanctity

of court’s pronouncements as well as democracy. Therefore, the paper calls for the

abolition of this practice as way forward.

Keywords: Court; consent; judgment; mandamus; public officer

Résumé

Lorsqu’une personne a intenté une action en justice contre quelqu’un ou le

gouvernement et qu’un jugement en valeur monétaire est rendu, et lorsque partie

jugée fautive ne parvient pas à régler volontairement la somme du jugement,

lae partie jugée gagnante du procès doit exécuter le jugement. Dans le cadre de

l’exécution du jugement, qui se fait généralement par le biais d’une procédure de

saisie-arrêt, la Loi sur le Shérif et Les Procédures Civiles (SCPA) prévoit que le

consentement du procureur général (AG) doit être requis et obtenu dès lors que

* LLB (Hons) UNICAL, LLM (Ibadan), BL, Assistant Professor, College of Law, Bowen

University, Iwo, Osun State, Nigeria. Email: david.eyongndi@bowen.edu.ng

** LLB (Hons) Ibadan, LLM (UNILAG), BL Lecturer Centre for Foundation Education, Bells

University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State. Email: kemiodeyinde@gmail.com

(2023) 10(1) Journal of Comparative Law in Africa 169

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170 JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE LAW IN AFRICA VOL 10, NO 1, 2023

https://doi.org/10.47348/JCLA/v10/i1a7

les fonds devant être utilisés pour satisfaire le jugement sont en possession d’un

agent public. Cet article, tout en reconnaissant la raison d’être de cette condition

préalable, examine son bien-fondé vis-à-vis du caractère définitif d’un jugement de

tribunal en adoptant une méthodologie doctrinale. Il soulève la question suivante

: puisque le consentement de l’AG doit être requis et qu’il peut être refusé, quelle

option, le cas échéant, est ouverte à une personne après un tel refus ? Le mandamus

peut-il être utilisé pour contraindre l’AG à donner son consentement, étant donné

que le consentement elève du pouvoir discrétionnaire de l’AG ? L’article soutient

que cette pratique revient à soumettre l’exécution d’une/décision de la Cour à la

discrétion de l’AG, ce qui est contraire au bon fonctionnement de la justice. Cette

pratique peut porter atteinte au caractère sacré des décisions de justice ainsi qu’à

la démocratie. En guise de solution, cet article appelle donc à l’abolition de cette

pratique.

Mots-clés: Cour; consentement; jugement; mandamus; fonctionnaire public

Introduction

In Nigeria, the courts are established under the law to adjudicate disputes

between disputants.1 Thus, once a person is likely to or actually suffers

injury as a result of the act or omission of another, their constitutionally

guaranteed right of action and access to court accrues, enabling them to seek

legal remedy.2 At the conclusion of adjudication or interlocutory action,

where the court decides in favour of a party to the dispute or renders its

final judgment, subject to the right of appeal or upon its exhaustion, the

judgment of the court is binding and enforceable between the parties and

their privies or any other person rightly claiming or benefiting through

them.3 Where the judgment invests a monetary interest in the party in

whose favour it is, that party has the legal r ight to take the necessary

legal steps to realise the money whether it is against an organisation,

private individual or the government.4 Thus, upon failure of the judgment

debtor to voluntarily comply with the judgment, the successful party can

recover the money through sui generis proceedings known as garnishee

proceedings.5 This are proceedings in which a person who is in custody

of money belonging to a judgment debtor is compelled to show cause

why they should not be ordered to pay over the money standing in the

debtor’s account to the judgment creditor and upon failure, is so ordered.6

1 See s 6(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 Cap. C23 Laws of the

Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004.

2 Ibid. Section 36.

3 Fidelity Bank Plc. v Okwuowulu & Anor. (2012) LPELR–8497 (CA).

4 Citizens International Bank Ltd. v SCOA Nigeria Ltd. & Anor. (2006) LPELR-5509 (CA).

5 Anyanechi, Olayemi & Akinlagun, Oriyomi ‘Nigeria: understanding garnishee proceedings

in Nigeria’ available at https://www.mondaq.com/nigeria/civil-law/526032/understanding-

garnishee-proceedings-in-nigeria [Accessed 17 December 2021].

6 Azubike, Stephen ‘CBN and garnishee of accounts of banks: Court of Appeal in fresh

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