United Bank for Africa seeks imprisonment for WEMPCO directors

United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has filed a committal notice at the Federal High Court in Lagos, seeking prison sentences for nine individuals linked to Western Metal Products Co. (WEMPCO). The bank alleges that the respondents engaged in “wilful, deliberate and orchestrated disobedience” of a court order issued on April 2.

The legal action is part of UBA’s efforts to recover N61.45 billion owed by the industrial conglomerate. According to UBA’s affidavit, the respondents allegedly used thugs to force a court-appointed receiver out of the company’s Ogun State factory, broke locks, and threatened staff with injury to continue business operations and divert funds.

On April 2, Justice Akintayo Aluko froze WEMPCO-linked funds across 27 banks and fintechs and appointed a receiver-manager over certain assets. While WEMPCO’s legal team previously proposed a joint reconciliation of accounts and a structured repayment framework, the allegations of disobedience have led to this latest escalation. The claims have not yet been tested in court.