The Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has dismissed a case challenging the inclusion of Arabic inscriptions on Nigerian currency.

The court was presided over by Justice Yellim Bogoro.

Chief Malcolm Emokiniovo Omirhobo had brought the case, arguing that the inscriptions violated Nigeria’s secular status.

While the court acknowledged Omirhobo’s standing to bring the action, it ruled that he failed to provide sufficient evidence of bad faith on the part of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The court cited the precedent set in Chief Gani Fawehinmi vs. Akilu (1998) and dismissed the suit.

In a statement, Omirhobo noted that the court affirmed Nigeria’s secular status and the equality of all ethnic and religious groups.

He said, “The court noted that Arabic language is not Nigeria’s official language and advised that for Nigerians to coexist in harmony, it is high time for the Central Bank of Nigeria and Federal Government to remove the Arabic inscription on the N200, N500 and N1000 naira notes since it has been removed from the N5, N10, N50 and N100.”

Meanwhile, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has hailed the judgment as “far-reaching, profound, didactic, and monumental.”

In a statement, Executive Director Prof. Ishaq Akintola expressed satisfaction with the outcome, ending a case that began in late 2020.