State High Court 14 Yenagoa on Wednesday adjourned the case between Maize Growers Processors and Marketers, Association of Nigeria (MAGPMA) Bayelsa Chapter, and Ecobank Plc to May 25, 2026.
The adjournment is to adopt the witness statement as the judge said that the case should not drag beyond June 2026..
The farmers alleged that the bank made unauthorized withdrawals from their accounts, leading to financial losses to them.
The farmers are seeking redress for the alleged financial malfeasance.
The aggrieved farmers are seeking legal redress from Ecobank over the bank’s unsatisfactory handling of their accounts which exposed them to avoidable risks and losses.
When the case came up for the cross extermination of Ecobank witness, defense counsel O.C. Nbeledougu, said that they have a motion which has been served to the claimant’s counsel Samuel Boulopremo.
She reminded the court that the motion was filed on March 8, 2026 seeking to substitute the witness for another.
On the cross examination of the Ecobank witness Mr Musa Adesuna, a banker with Ecobank, the defense counsel tendered all the witness statements and evidence.
The witness said that the bank dealt with the National body of MAGPMA and not the Bayelsa branch of the branch.
On his part, claimant's counsel, said in his argument that all the evidence tendered by the witness are not in the guideline directive of the Central Bank of Nigeria for loan.
The court presided over by Justice Amaebi Orukari, ruled that all parties must file all necessary documents before the next hearing of the case.
The judge thereafter adjourned the case until May 25, 2026, for adoption of witnesses statements.
According to the court summons document sighted by our correspondent, the farmers accounts domiciled with the Bank on the Anchor Borrower Program of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was run in breach of the CBN’s rules for the scheme.
The farmers are seeking a cumulative general and punitive damage of N68 billion.
MAGPMAN Bayelsa state chapter in their grouse before the court, lamented that the fraud allegedly perpetrated by the commercial bank has left them with no choice than to seek redress, since the bank (Ecobank) refuse to listen to us in a way we will have resolved the issue.
Under the scheme, each of the 894 members of the group will get N182,461.02 and is expected to pay back N198,862.04 at the end of the loan tenor, but Ecobank as we speak is even deducting N400,000, N300,000 and N205,000 as the cas
e may be from the poor farmers.
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