A Federal High Court in Lagos has encouraged parties in a multi-billion-naira intellectual property dispute involving the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc and Enterprise Logistics Speciale Limited to pursue an out-of-court settlement before the case proceeds to full trial.
Justice Deinde Dipeolu made the recommendation after the scheduled hearing could not go ahead because legal representatives for some of the defendants failed to appear in court.
The lawsuit, valued at ₦98.5 billion, centres on allegations that proprietary cash management technology developed by Enterprise Logistics Speciale Limited was unlawfully used without authorisation.
Trial Stalled As Some Defendants Fail To Appear
When the matter came up for hearing, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Tayo Oyetibo, led the legal team representing Enterprise Logistics Speciale Limited and its Managing Director, Samuel Kolajo.
While counsel representing NIBSS was present, lawyers for the CBN, Avanage Nigeria Limited and the Registrar of Patents and Designs were absent.
Oyetibo informed the court that the plaintiffs were fully prepared to begin their case and had their first witness ready to testify.
Justice Dipeolu, however, ruled that fairness required fresh hearing notices to be served on the absent parties before the trial could commence.
The judge subsequently reminded all parties that the Federal High Court Act empowers courts to promote alternative dispute resolution where possible and urged them to explore meaningful negotiations in a bid to resolve the dispute without prolonged litigation.
Company Claims Patented Technology Was Used Without Consent
At the heart of the case is Enterprise Logistics’ claim that it spent years developing innovative cash management solutions designed to modernise Nigeria’s banking and payment ecosystem.
The company and its Managing Director contend that the technologies, which are protected under the Patents and Designs Act, were disclosed to the defendants under confidential arrangements.
According to the plaintiffs, the CBN later introduced policies governing Bank Neutral Cash Hubs that allegedly incorporated key elements of their patented innovations without permission or compensation.
They insist the inventions—including the PillarSalt Cash Management Solution and other cash processing technologies—remain their exclusive intellectual property.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to affirm their ownership rights, restrain the defendants from using the technologies without approval and direct NIBSS to integrate their PillarSalt solution into Nigeria’s central payment switch.
They are also seeking the nullification of the CBN guidelines establishing Bank Neutral Cash Hubs.
₦98.5bn Compensation Claim
As part of the suit, the plaintiffs are demanding financial compensation running into ₦98.5 billion.
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The claims include ₦500 million in damages over the alleged patent infringement, ₦200 million for the alleged breach of a Non-Disclosure Agreement signed with NIBSS in 2015, and ₦97.8 billion for losses they claim resulted from NIBSS’s refusal to deploy their technology on the country’s payment infrastructure since 2016.
NIBSS Rejects Allegations
NIBSS has denied all allegations levelled against it.
In its defence, the payment system operator argued that it neither violated any patent rights nor breached the confidentiality agreement cited by the plaintiffs.
The organisation further contended that granting the reliefs sought would effectively hand Enterprise Logistics exclusive control over a segment of Nigeria’s payment infrastructure, a development it described as anti-competitive and capable of creating an unlawful monopoly.
Justice Dipeolu adjourned the matter until October 15 and 16, 2026, when the case is expected to proceed to trial if settlement discussions fail to produce an agreement.