… as APC describes bench warrant inconsequential

By Shina Abubakar, Osogbo

The Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria(ALGON), Osun State, Mr Abiodun Idowu, has commended the State High Court for granting an order to quash criminal charges filed against United Bank for Africa, UBA and three of its staff.

An Osogbo Magistrate Court presided by Mr A. Adeyeba had issued a bench warrant after the Attorney-General of the State file criminal charges against the bank and three of its senior staff for failing to appear before it.

But, Justice M. Agboola of the State High Court in an exparte motion before it filed Hos/M4/2026 on Friday seeking to quash the criminal case before the Magistrate Court.

Despite the granting of the motion by the High Court, Magistrate Adeyeba ordered the bench warrant.

Reacting to the quashing of the criminal charges, Abiodun lauded the High Court decision saying the Leave granted the UBA officials is an affirmation of supremacy of the rule of law.

“The issuance of Bench Warrant is bizarre. It beats the imagination of any right-thinking member of the public in the fact that a whole Magistrate who is expected to uphold the rule of law would snub the same law and descend on innocent officials of the bank who have chosen to be law abiding by approaching the State High Court to vent their grievances over the Illegality being perpetrated at the Magistrate court”, he said.

He therefore advised members of the public to remain calm and be law-abiding while the Illegality is being lawfully fought in the court of law.

Also, the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Osun State in a statement by its Director of Media and Information Kola Olabisi on Saturday, described the bench warrant against UBA staff as dead on arrival and lauded judiciary for granting leave to quash the criminal case at the magistrate.

He berated Governor Ademola Adeleke for the display of ignorance over the controversial bench warrant order issued by an Osogbo Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

According to him, “We commend the judiciary for granting the leave to quash the criminal charges against the financial institution UBA. One would have expected Magistrate Adeyeba to await the decision of the superior court over the determination of the validity of charge No. MOS/601c/2025 once the leave had been granted but he refused to honour the ruling and went ahead to issue a bench warrant which in the eye of the law amounts to academic exercise.

“It was disheartening that Adeleke’s government could needlessly resort to celebrating failure when it is obvious even to a layman that the order of the Magistrate Court was dead on arrival.

“We, as a party, are expressing displeasure over the negligence of the Magistrate to have ignored the pendency of Suit No. FHC/OS/CS/19/2026 in which the Magistrate is also a defendant as instituted by the reinstated chairmen and councilors to challenge the illegality being perpetrated at the Magistrate Court over the purported charge.

“For the purpose of clarity and avoidance of doubt, the ruling of the State High Court sitting in Osogbo has nullified whatever the decision that might have been taken by the Magistrate Court, which by implication, is a nullity and mere academic exercise.”