By Unini Chioma 

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday fixed February 15, 2022, for a hearing of the suit by 36 states governors seeking to stop deductions of $418m Paris Club refund debt.

Justice Inyang Ekwo directed lawyers to serve and exchange their papers on the matter before the date.

The 36 state governors, through their counsel, Sunday Ibrahim Ameh, are asking the court to stop the deduction of their $418m from their accounts.

The court had earlier refused to grant a request for an injunctive order restraining the federal government from proceeding with the deductions.

The governors are saying they are not parties to a suit in which judgment approved the deduction of the $418m for payment of contractors and consultants in the Paris Club refunds.

But the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation had said the refunds were part of judgments delivered at various times in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019; while two of the judgments were consent judgments based on terms of settlement entered into by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum in 2017 and 2019.