E-Financial
Court Orders CBN to Pay Kasmal N579Bn for Role in Stamp Duty
Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to pay Kasmal International Services N579,130,698,440 with 10 per cent interest per annum for its role in stamp duty collection.
The interest will apply from January 1, 2015, to January 31, 2020.
Kasmal, through Alex Izinyon, their lawyer filed the suit against the CBN and the Attorney General of the Federation, arguing that the Nigerian Postal Service had appointed them to collect a N50 fee on all receipts issued by banks or financial institutions for services related to electronic transfers and teller deposits of N1,000 and above.
This appointment was in line with the Stamp Duties Act and the Nigerian Financial Regulations of 2009.
The lawyer added that the terms of the agreement between NIPOST and the plaintiff included the remuneration of N7.50 from every N50 deduction of which his client’s percentage has not been fully paid as agreed.
The court document read, “The plaintiff has become aware through public disclosures by the Governor of the CBN that after the initial payment of N10.367 billion to the plaintiff, which did not reflect the total value of all accrued deposits that ought to have been paid into the 1st Defendant NIPOST Stamp Duty Collection Account No. 3000047517 from January 1, 2015, to January 31, 2020, further remittances were made from the DMBs’ NIPOST STAMP DUTIES ACCOUNTS to the 1st Defendant NIPOST Stamp Duty Collection Account No. 3000047517 in the tune of over N370.7 billion, which were amounts that accrued within the period from January 1, 2015, to January 31, 2020.
“Currently, a total of N3.8 trillion stands in the Stamp Duty Collection Account, ready for distribution among the Federal Government, State Governments, Local Governments, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Coordinating Consultants, and other bodies.
“That the plaintiff’s 15%, amounting to N579,130,698,440, is part of the N3.8 trillion in the Stamp Duty Collection Account.
“The defendants/respondents have started taking steps to disburse and transfer the whole of the N3.8 trillion in the Stamp Duty Collection Account without consideration of the outstanding payments due to the plaintiff.”
The plaintiff prayed by the Court to issue “an order directing the 1st and 2nd Defendants to pay the plaintiff the sum of N579,130,698,440 or any other sum as may be adjudged by this Court upon the production of the records relating to the collection of stamp duty between January 1, 2015, and January 31, 2020, representing 15% of all accrued deposits paid into or which ought to have been paid into the CBN NIPOST Stamp Duty Collection Account No. 3000047517 by all Deposit Money Banks.
“An order directing the 1st (CBN) and 2nd Defendants to pay the plaintiff an interest payment of 10% per annum on the sum of N579,130,698,440 or any other sum as may be adjudged by this Court upon the production of the records relating to the collection of stamp duty between January 1, 2015, and January 31, 2020, representing 15% of all accrued deposits paid into or which ought to have been paid into the CBN NIPOST Stamp Duty Collection Account No. 3000047517 by all Deposit Money Banks (DMBs).”
The lawyer earlier asked the court to restrain the 1st and 2nd Defendants, either by themselves, agents, privies, assigns, or whatsoever called, from disbursing, distributing, transferring, depleting, or doing anything whatsoever with all accrued deposits paid into or which ought to have been paid into the CBN NIPOST Stamp Duty Collection Account by all DMBs pending the hearing and determination of the case.
In their preliminary objection to the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/335/2024, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Apex bank through Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), their counsel, told the court that the agency contract the plaintiff allegedly had with NIPOST is illegal.
Akintola argued that only the Federal, State, and Local Governments are entitled to share the revenue in the Federation Account.
He said the purported appointment of the plaintiff by NIPOST was void from the onset because stamp duty charges on bank transfers and deposits are a tax that is exclusively administered by the Federal Government through the Federal Inland Revenue Service.
He contended that NIPOST is not the revenue collection agency for stamp duties and hence has no authority to appoint the plaintiff to represent it as a collection agent for the Federal Government.
Furthermore, he stated that NIPOST lacks the powers to appoint the plaintiff as a revenue-generating collector concerning stamp duty, thus rendering the legitimacy of the underlying contract faulty.
He referred the court to a subsisting judgment which did not bind the CBN to any contract deals between NIPOST and the plaintiff.
He also urged the court to dismiss the case, criticising the plaintiff for not joining NIPOST as a defendant in the matter.
The lawyer urged the court to hold that it is the responsibility of the Accountant General of the Federation to disburse, distribute, allocate, or transfer all such accrued revenues in the Federation Account.
He said, “The non-joinder of NIPOST, which purportedly appointed the plaintiff as a collection agent, robs the Honorable Court of the requisite jurisdiction to entertain the claims as presently constituted;
“The purported agency contract between NIPOST and the plaintiff, which is the basis for the plaintiff’s authority, is not placed before the court; hence the court cannot give effect to the said agency contract merely because it was mentioned in passing in paragraph 5(e) of the plaintiff’s affidavit in support of the originating summons.”
“The revenue being challenged belongs to the entire Federation, the collection and remittance of which goes to the Federation Account, and any amount standing to the credit of the Federation Account can only be distributed among the Federal, State, and Local Government Councils in each State. The court lacks jurisdiction to entertain this suit in relation to sharing the said money in the Federation Account.”
“The Stamp Duties Act makes no provision for the delegation of the collection of stamp duties by any other body other than NIPOST under the NIPOST Act, and subsequently, the said stamp duties relate only.”
Justice Ekwo while delivering judgment in the suit, held that the submission of the CBN and AGF that NIPOST lacks the statutory power to collect stamp duties and that the agency agreement entered into with the plaintiff does not hold water.
The judge noted that a previous judgment concerning stamp duty that favoured the plaintiff is still subsisting and has not been overturned by a higher court.
Ekwo held that the submission of the CBN and the AGF that the reliefs sought by the plaintiff in the suit cannot be granted, as all revenues accruing to the Federation, including the stamp duties, the subject of this matter, are remitted into the Federation Account, which can only be distributed among the tiers of government as provided in the Constitution, is incorrect.
He held that the CBN had paid the plaintiff the sum of N10.3 billion, representing 15% of remitted stamp duty by all Deposit Money Banks between January 1, 2015, and January 31, 2020, from the CBN NIPOST Stamp Duty Collection Account No. 3000047517.
“I find at the end that the CBN and AGF have not effectively controverted the case of the plaintiff, and the plaintiff, having made a credible case, ought to succeed on the merit, and I so hold.
“It is my opinion that this case is predicated on the fact that the 1st and 2nd Defendants have had transactions with the plaintiff before by paying the plaintiff the sum of N10.3 billion, being 15% of remitted stamp duty,” he said.
Justice Ekwo proceeded to grant the reliefs of the plaintiff, while he ordered the Apex bank to pay over N579bn with associated interest within the stipulated period.
Federal Ministry of Finance has halted enforcement of about N680 million in disputed fees imposed by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) on NICON Insurance Limited and Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation (Nig Re) as part of the ongoing insurance industry recapitalisation exercise.
The Ministry also directed NAICOM to suspend its demand that the two companies transfer their entire recapitalisation funds into an escrow account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), pending determination of a petition challenging the legality of the charges and the directive.
The intervention followed a July 27, 2026 petition by NICON and Nig Re over what they described as unlawful fees and regulatory demands arising from the implementation of the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025.
In a letter to the Commissioner for Insurance, Raymond Omachi, permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, on behalf of Taiwo Oyedele, minister of Finance and coordinating minister of the Economy, requested that NAICOM provide a detailed response and legal justification for the disputed requirements.
The Ministry specifically directed the Commission to suspend enforcement of the contested processing and verification fees, the one per cent Capital Injection Fee, and the directive requiring the companies to transfer their full recapitalisation funds to a CBN escrow account.
The dispute centres on NAICOM’s assessment of a one per cent fee on capital injected by operators, alongside additional processing and verification charges prescribed under Appendix 2 of the Commission’s Minimum Capital Requirement Guidelines.
According to the petition, the combined assessments amounted to N305 million for NICON and N375 million for Nig Re, bringing the disputed charges to N680 million.
The companies are also challenging what they described as an unconstitutional requirement to transfer more than the statutory proportion of their recapitalisation funds to the CBN.
They contend that Section 16(3) of NIIRA 2025 provides for a 10 per cent statutory deposit, and not the transfer of the entire capital injection into an escrow account.
The companies told the Ministry that they had already met the July 31, 2026 recapitalisation deadline.
NICON said it injected N420 billion, while Nig Re injected N30 billion into Mudaraba Term Deposit accounts with Lotus Bank Limited. The companies maintained that the amounts exceeded their adjusted recapitalisation requirements of N16 billion and N28 billion, respectively.
They further stated that they had deposited N42.5 billion and N43.5 billion respectively with the CBN, in compliance with the statutory deposit requirement under Section 16(3) of the new law.
The companies also disclosed that they had made initial payments of N480 million and N75 million, respectively, in fees.
The Finance Ministry’s directive effectively places the disputed charges and escrow requirement on hold while NAICOM is expected to justify the legal and regulatory basis for its actions.
The intervention could have wider implications for the insurance industry’s recapitalisation programme, particularly as operators face regulatory deadlines to strengthen their capital base under the new insurance law.
The controversy also raises questions about the extent to which regulatory guidelines can impose additional financial obligations on operators beyond those expressly provided for under the enabling legislation.
NAICOM is now expected to respond to the Ministry’s request and explain the statutory basis for the one per cent capital injection fee, the additional processing and verification charges, and the requirement for the full capital injection to be transferred into a CBN escrow account.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has launched a nationwide awareness campaign aimed at helping investors and beneficiaries recover unclaimed dividends and inherited investments, as part of efforts to strengthen investor protection and reduce the volume of dormant assets in Nigeria’s capital market.
The initiative, unveiled in Abuja through the Probate/Unclaimed Monies Awareness and Investor Clinic, seeks to educate investors, beneficiaries and estate executors on probate procedures, estate administration and the processes involved in accessing financial assets left behind by deceased relatives.
Speaking at the event, Dr Emomotimi Agama, the Director-General of the SEC, said the Commission was addressing a long-standing challenge that had prevented many families from accessing investments belonging to deceased relatives.
Agama said many beneficiaries face difficulties obtaining probate, letters of administration, death certificates and other documents required to claim shares, dividends and other financial assets.
“For many Nigerian families, the death of a loved one who held shares, dividends or other investments marks the beginning of a long and often confusing journey,” he said.
According to him, the complexity surrounding estate administration often leaves beneficiaries unable to access legitimate investments and other financial assets inherited from deceased relatives.
He described unclaimed dividends and dormant assets as a major concern for the Nigerian capital market, noting that the funds represent money that should be benefiting families but remains idle because beneficiaries are unable to access them.
“Across our market, unclaimed dividends and dormant assets represent real money—money that belongs to real families, sitting idle, disconnected from the people it was meant to serve,” Agama said.
The SEC DG said the Commission was committed to bridging the gap through policy reforms, investor education and sustained engagement with investors, beneficiaries and other stakeholders in the capital market.
He stressed the importance of ensuring that investors and their families were adequately informed about the procedures for documenting, preserving and transferring financial assets to beneficiaries.
Agama said the awareness campaign would also provide an avenue for members of the public to better understand probate processes and the requirements for recovering unclaimed monies and inherited investments.
Also speaking, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of Meristem Registrars and Probate Services Limited, Ms Nkechinyelu Okoye, identified poor awareness and inadequate estate planning as major factors contributing to the accumulation of unclaimed financial assets.
Okoye said some beneficiaries were unaware that financial assets such as shares and dividends formed part of a deceased person’s estate, while others did not know that their deceased relatives had investments in the capital market.
She added that some beneficiaries were also unfamiliar with the documentation and legal procedures required to establish their entitlement and successfully claim the assets.
According to her, these challenges often result in financial assets remaining unclaimed for extended periods, even when legitimate beneficiaries are available.
The initiative is expected to improve public awareness of probate and estate administration procedures while helping more families identify and recover investments and other financial assets belonging to them.
It is also part of broader efforts to reduce the volume of unclaimed dividends and dormant assets in the capital market and ensure that funds belonging to investors and their beneficiaries are returned to their rightful owners.
United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, africa’s global bank, has partnered Mikano Motors to launch an auto financing scheme, themed: ‘Drive Your Dream Today’, specifically designed to ease the purchase of new vehicles by making them more accessible to Nigerians.
General Manager, Mikano Motors, Tarek Mostafa; Executive Director, Personal and Business Banking, United Bank for Africa, Chidi Okpala and National Operations Manager, Syam Abdulkadir, during a partnership signing between both parties, themed: ‘Drive Your Dreams Today’, a Flexible vehicle financing solutions, initiative at the Mikano Showroom in Victoria Island
The flexible Financing solutions Initiative, requires customers to make an initial payment of just 30 percent while the Bank finances the remaining 70 percent.
Unveiled at the Mikano Motors showroom in Victoria Island, Lagos, the scheme allows eligible customers to repay the financed amount in instalments over a period of 36 months at an interest rate of 23 percent.
The financing is available to a broad range of customers, including individuals who are not on a salaried income, providing entrepreneurs, and other eligible Nigerians with a structured pathway to vehicle ownership.
The process begins with a simple eligibility check. Interested customers can visit their nearest UBA branch or email [email protected] to confirm their eligibility. Once approved, customers can proceed to Mikano Motors to obtain a proforma invoice for their preferred vehicle and continue with the financing process.
Speaking at the launch, UBA’s Group Executive Director, designate, Personal and Business Banking, Chidi Okpala, said the partnership reflects the Bank’s commitment to making everyday aspirations more attainable while promoting a stronger credit culture and advancing financial inclusion.
“Owning a car should not be out of reach for hardworking Nigerians, and this partnership makes it far more achievable,” Okpala said. “A customer puts down 30 percent, we finance the rest, and they pay us back comfortably over a three years period. By removing the single biggest barrier to vehicle ownership where a customer just commits with an upfront cost, we are showing what customer-first banking looks like in practice, which is making their lives easier, by meeting our customers where they are and helping them get where they want to be.”
Also speaking, UBA’s Group Head, Consumer Lending, Frank Okoh, said the scheme was designed to make vehicle financing straightforward and accessible to both salaried and self-employed customers.
“We have kept the entry simple and the terms clear, whether you earn a salary or run your own business,” Okoh said. “A short eligibility check at any branch or by email is all it takes to begin, and our team guides the customer through every step to the moment they collect their keys.”
For Mikano Motors, the partnership provides an opportunity to extend its vehicle ownership proposition to a wider pool of Nigerians
The company’s General Manager, Tarek Mostafa, said the collaboration aligns with Mikano Motors’ vision of providing customers with a high-end ownership experience supported by reliable after-sales services.
“Mikano Motors was established to give Nigerians a high-end ownership experience, from the showroom to years down the road,” Mostafa said. “The backbone of any automotive business is not just the sale, but the after-sales service that follows. Every vehicle we sell is backed by genuine spare parts, reliable maintenance and quality service available anywhere in the country. Wherever you are we would come meet you at no extra cost”
“Partnering with UBA lets more customers enjoy that experience, and we are proud to build lasting relationships alongside a bank that shares our commitment to service,” he added.
Established in 2018 under Mikano International, Mikano Motors builds on more than 35 years of the group’s presence in Nigeria. The company offers a diversified portfolio of vehicles supported by nationwide sales and after-sales services.
The partnership further strengthens UBA’s consumer lending proposition, providing customers with structured financing solutions designed around accessibility, affordability and convenience. Through partnerships such as this, the Bank continues to expand access to credit while helping customers meet significant personal and lifestyle needs with ease.
United Bank for Africa is one of the largest employers in the financial sector on the African continent, with 25,000 employees group-wide and serving over 45 million customers globally. Operating in twenty African countries, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France and the United Arab Emirates, UBA provides retail, commercial and institutional banking services, leading financial inclusion and implementing cutting-edge technology.
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