Court hands UBA victory in N156bn debt recovery case

United Bank for Africa. Photo: UBA

United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has won a court ruling in its three-year effort to recover money it says Stallion Group owes. The Federal High Court upheld the bank’s receiver, its mortgage security and the liability of the guarantors.

Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court Ikoyi, Lagos, resolved every issue in UBA’s favour and granted all the reliefs sought, according to the judgement heard in court.

The court confirmed Romeo Michael as receiver-manager, with the right to take possession of the mortgaged property and seek protective orders.

It also barred the defendants from diverting payments owed to them by government agencies, thereby reinforcing the bank’s ability to protect its recovery interests.

The court held that the defendants did not dispute owing money, only the amount, and that a reconciliation of accounts did not cancel the debt.

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The court also dismissed objections raised by the 12th defendant, Barbedos Ventures Limited, holding that it had failed to establish any proprietary rights over the mortgaged property. Consequently, its consent was not required for the creation of the mortgage, and its objections were rejected.

The case began when Justice Akintayo Aluko granted UBA orders to take over assets of Stallion Nigeria Ltd. and its affiliates in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano, and to freeze their funds across Nigerian banks. Stallion’s attempts to lift those orders failed in December 2023. The defendants include Von Automobile Nigeria, Stallion Motors, The Honda Place and director Sunil Vaswani.

The decision represents victory for UBA, with the court resolving all issues in the Bank’s favour and granting all the reliefs sought.

The ruling is particularly significant for the enforcement of creditors’ rights in Nigeria, underscoring the legal validity of properly constituted security arrangements and the authority of duly appointed receivers to enforce creditors’ interests.

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