A Federal High Court in Lagos State has granted an period in-between Mareva injunction freezing copyright levy funds payable to the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (MCSN) and restraining the Central Financial institution of Nigeria (CBN) and 20 commercial banks from disbursing or releasing the funds pending additional hearing.
Naija Recordsdata reviews that the banks listed in the utility are Rep entry to Financial institution Plc, Citi Financial institution Nigeria Restricted, Constancy Financial institution Nigeria Plc, First Financial institution of Nigeria Plc, First City Monument Financial institution Plc, Guaranty Have confidence Financial institution Plc, Heritage Financial institution Plc, Keystone Financial institution Restricted, Skye Financial institution Plc, Stanbic IBTC Financial institution Nigeria Restricted, Long-established Chartered Financial institution, Sterling Financial institution Plc, Union Financial institution of Nigeria Plc, United Financial institution for Africa Plc, Unity Financial institution Plc, Wema Financial institution Plc, Zenith Financial institution Plc, Ecobank Nigeria Restricted, SunTrust Financial institution Nigeria Restricted and Enterprise Financial institution Restricted.
Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa gave the expose in Swimsuit No. FHC/L/CS/207/2026 following an ex parte utility filed on February 5, 2026, by File Designate Proprietors’ Initiative and 11 leading epic labels and music corporations.
The plaintiffs comprise Mavin Recordsdata Ltd; Davido Track Worldwide Ltd; Premier Track Publishing Restricted; Chocolate City Track Restricted; Hypertek Digital Restricted; Digital Track Commerce & Commerce Restricted (DMCE); Beggars Community Media Restricted; Standard Track Community; Sony Track Leisure Africa; Warner Track South Africa (Pty) Ltd; and Gamma Media Heart East DMCC.
The 2nd to 12th plaintiffs are suing thru their correct authorized knowledgeable, File Designate Proprietors’ Initiative.
In the movement ex parte, filed and argued by Oragwu Nnamdi, the plaintiffs sought an expose stopping the CBN from disbursing, releasing, transferring, or otherwise paying out any copyright levy funds attributable to sound recordings and intended for MCSN, pending the hearing and dedication of a Toddle on Look.
They additional requested the court docket to restrain MCSN, its agents, servants or privies from receiving, accessing, withdrawing, transferring, dissipating or otherwise going thru any copyright levy funds, whether paid at once by the CBN or routed thru commercial banks.
Furthermore, the candidates sought an expose directing the CBN and the affected banks to relieve all such funds and to file affidavits of compliance inside of three days of service of the expose, disclosing the sums standing to the credit of MCSN in admire of the levy funds.
In granting the utility, Justice Lewis-Allagoa restrained the CBN, its officers, agents or any individual acting under its authority from disbursing any copyright levy funds attributable to sound recordings and payable to MCSN, pending the dedication of the Toddle on Look.
The court docket moreover barred MCSN from receiving, accessing, utilising, withdrawing, transferring, changing, dissipating or otherwise going thru the funds, whether already got or but to be disbursed.
The identify directed the CBN and the listed banks to relieve the disputed sums and file affidavits of compliance inside of three days of being served with the expose, disclosing the amounts standing to the credit of MCSN in admire of the levy funds earmarked for disbursement or already disbursed.
Furthermore, the court docket ordered that any copyright levy funds already got by MCSN and attributable to sound recordings owned by the 2nd to 12th plaintiffs, after they’d validly opted out of the collective management and administration of their rights, may well well well moreover peaceable be preserved intact.
MCSN used to be moreover directed to render an memoir of such funds and refrain from any longer dealings with them pending the hearing of the Toddle on Look.
At the hearing of the ex parte movement, counsel to the plaintiffs/candidates, Oragwu Nnamdi, moved the utility.
After brooding about the submissions, the court docket granted the orders as prayed and adjourned the matter to March 12, 2026, for the hearing of the Toddle on Look.
