THE FEDERAL High Court in Abuja has scheduled May 26 for the hearing of a lawsuit filed by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) Plc against the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other parties.
The suit seeks to affirm NIBSS’s exclusive authority to manage Nigeria’s Bank Verification Number (BVN) database.
Justice James Omotosho fixed the date after dismissing an application by the Incorporated Trustees of the Data Privacy Lawyers Association (DPLAN) to join the suit as a defendant.
NIBSS, represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Ademolai Esan, filed the suit against the Incorporated Trustees of Digital Rights Lawyers Initiative (ITDRLI), the CBN, and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as the 1st to 3rd defendants, respectively.
The plaintiff is seeking a judicial declaration that it is legally empowered to maintain and manage the BVN database under the Central Bank Act 2007, the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act 2020, and the Revised Regulatory Framework for BVN Operations (2021).
NIBSS accused ITDRLI of filing multiple lawsuits—directly or through proxies—challenging its authority to manage the BVN database and alleging constitutional privacy violations. ITDRLI, however, denied the claims and urged the court to dismiss the suit.
At the previous hearing in April, DPLAN’s counsel, Ayomide Ahmed, argued that the case’s outcome would affect its members’ rights, particularly concerning BVN-related privacy concerns. He requested that the association be joined as a defendant.
Opposing the application, CBN’s lawyer, Abdulfatai Oyedele, contended that DPLAN failed to submit a proposed defence, a requirement for joinder.
NIBSS’s counsel, Esan, also opposed the motion, alleging that DPLAN’s chairman is linked to the 1st defendant and accused the group of deliberately delaying proceedings.
In his ruling, Justice Omotosho held that DPLAN’s application lacked merit, as the court could adjudicate the matter without its inclusion.
He emphasized that only necessary parties — those whose rights would be directly affected — should be joined. The judge noted that the AGF’s presence in the suit sufficiently represents public interest.
Dismissing the application, Justice Omotosho adjourned the case to May 26 for the substantive hearing.
The BVN is a unique identifier issued to Nigerian bank customers, linking all their accounts nationwide for verification purposes. (NAN)
