Parallex Bank Accuses FHT Mega Express Of Abuse Of Court Process In Firm’s N4.5bn Debt To The bank

One of the new generation banks in Nigeria, Parallex Bank Limited, has asked the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, to dismiss the suit filed against it by a logistics firm, FHT Mega Express Limited, for being an abuse of court process, incompetent and for want of jurisdiction.

It would be recalled that the court presided over by Justice Hauwa Lawal Gummi had on December 18, 2025, granted an Ex-parte motion, wherein it issued a temporary order freezing the Bank’s N7,154, 677 billion, over a financial dispute between the bank and FHT Mega Express Limited.

In urging the court to dismiss the firm’s suit, Parallex Bank in some of the aveerments in the affidavit in support of its preliminary objection to the suit deposed to by Mrs. Cynthia Akunaeziri, a Manager in the Bank were that by a Writ of Summons and Statement of Claim dated 4th September, 2025, Parallex Bank Limited as Plaintiff before the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division, filed Suit No: FHC/L/CS/1774/2025, between Parallex Bank Limited v FHT Mega Express Limited & 4 Ors, seeking judgment in the sum of N4, 500, 000, 000. 00 (four billion, five hundred million naira only), being the outstanding indebtedness of FHT Mega Express Limited (1st respondent) on some Letters of Credit opened in favour of the 1st respondent by Parallex Bank Limited, for the above sum and in respect of which the Bank sought to protect its banker’s lien and leave to dispose of the goods towards satisfaction of FHT’s debt.

It was the Bank’s contention as contained in the processes filed in court that instead of maintaining status quo and allow the Federal High Court to determine the issue of FHT’s indebtedness to Parallex Bank, the firm (FHT) has engaged in various abusive strategies in order to harass the Bank and frustrate the payment of its indisputable debt to the Bank.

The bank further averred in its challenge of the FCT High Court exparte order, that FHT engaged in series of abuse of court processes, as the firm concealed from the presiding judge, the pendency of the above suit filed earlier in time by the bank against the firm, in which the Federal High Court had made a subsisting order for parties to maintain status quo.

The Bank further alleged that before the FCT High Court exparte order was made, FHT Mega Express had attempted to obtain similar order to attach the Bank’s funds from the Lagos State High Court in suit numbered LD/ADR/6143/2025, but the judge who presided over the court, Justice A. T. Muyideen, refused to grant the firm’s application; instead directed FHT to put the Bank on notice. The Bank challenged this matter by filing preliminary objections to the suit and application to dismiss the case. FHT immediately discontinued this suit and proceeded to the High Court of FCT Abuja to file the same suit, while deliberately suppressing material facts relating to the pendency of the existing suits and its failed attempt to obtain ex-parte orders in Suit No: LD/ADR/6143/2025. FHT Mega Express Limited misled the Honourable Court into granting the long-sought ex-parte orders in its favour, thereby exposing the parties and the Courts to the real and substantial risk of conflicting decisions by courts of coordinate jurisdiction.

According to the Counter Affidavit filed in the FCT High Court matter, the Bank affirmed that the instant suit was deliberately commenced by FHT immediately after the withdrawal of Suit No: LD/ADR/6143/2025 for the sole purpose of re-litigating the same issues and obtaining the ex parte reliefs previously refused, thereby amounting to a gross abuse of court process.

The Bank stated that the justice of the case will be best served if the instant suit is dismissed.

The matter has been adjourned to February 4, 2026, for hearing of the preliminary objection while the Bank remains resolute in its determination to recover the outstanding sum of N4.5 billion due from FHT Mega Express Limited which the company continues to avoid paying by filing frivolous court actions.