A Kaduna State High Court has issued a jail notice to the Managing Director, Zenith Bank Plc., over continued neglect of an order to refund the sum of N14.2 million to a customer of the bank.

Justice E. Andow endorsed the Form 49 dated October 20, titled, “Notice to show cause why order of committal should not be made against you.”

The notice followed complaints of illegal withdrawals from the account belonging to Florence Ngozi Aguwa, who died in January 2020, by her relatives, without the consent of her husband, Magnus Nnaemeka Aguwa.

The order of the court read in part: “Take notice that the third defendant/applicant would on December 9, in the afternoon, apply to this court for an order for your committal to prison, having disobeyed the order of this honourable court made on October 5, requiring you to pay the sum of N14, 216,107.34k withdrawn from the account number 1003005241 belonging to Mrs. Florence Ngozi Aguwa and domiciled with the first defendant/respondent into account number 0230780257 belonging to Mrs Flornce Ngozi Aguwa and domiciled with Guaranty Trust Bank Nigeria Plc., pending the determination of the motion on notice filed by the third defendant/applicant before this honourable court.”

Also ruling on the motion on notice brought against Jacinta Uloma Ibe (now Jacinta Uloma Agha Oji) by Aguwa’s counsel, Oteiku Asekome, the judge directed the Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State, to commence investigation into the circumstances behind the withdrawal of the sum from the deceased’s bank account.

The contempt proceedings were initiated by Mr. Aguwa after police investigation found that the relatives of the deceased woman obtained a letter of administration from the Probate Registry of the Kaduna State High Court after they were denied access by the FCT High Court Probate Registry, which also withdrew the Manager’s Cheque earlier issued to them by the bank.

The police found that the deceased sister concealed from the bank that the dead was survived by a husband and two children aged seven and five years old.