People With Disabilities Sue Banks Over Inaccessible Doors, Facilities

A physically challenged lawyer, Enor Agofure, has dragged three Nigerian banks before the Federal High Court in Lagos over their inability to access bank halls freely due to the installation of Mantrap doors at their entrances.

Enor, who instituted the suit on behalf of herself and other physically challenged persons in Nigeria, is asking the court for declarations that the banks’ failure to modify their buildings violates the rights of persons with disabilities, mainly due to the Man Trap doors blocking access.

The Applicant listed Access Bank Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank, and Zenith Bank as respondents in the case before Justice Deinde Dipeolu, with a hearing scheduled for 4 April.

The lawyer is also urging the court for the following reliefs: “a declaration that that the failure or neglect of the Respondents to commence modification of her public buildings and Infrastructure In Lagos and throughout the Federation to make It accessible for the use of the Applicant is an infringement of the fundamental human right of the Applicant, as contained in sections 33, 34, 41 and 42 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Articles 4, 9, 10, 12, 18 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), Article 5,6, 7 8, anc 15 of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities In Africa and sections 1, 3 and 6 of the Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act.

Agofure further seeks N60 million in general damages, jointly and severally, against the respondents for the infringement of her constitutional rights.

In an affidavit attached to the suit, the lawyer stated she is a wheelchair user with a disability certification.

She notes that the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Act 2018, signed into law in 2018, requires these modifications, which the banks have yet to implement, even after the 5-year transition period ending in January 2024.

Agofure confirms she is a customer of three banks—Guaranty Trust Bank, Zenith Bank, and Access Bank—and describes how the Man Trap doors prevent her from entering and conducting transactions, affecting her livelihood.

The applicant averred, “Furthermore, I cannot use the respondents’ ATM because there is no ramp. The ATM lacks audio and visual features, making it unusable for people with disabilities.

“Blind individuals cannot use the ATM due to the absence of braille keypads. The difficulty in accessing the respondents’ facilities affects my livelihood as a lawyer.

“My ATM cards (from GTB and Access Bank) have expired because the respondents have refused to modify their mantrap doors to allow accessible entry. The mantrap doors at their main entrance prevent me from entering the banking hall to get a new ATM card or conduct financial transactions relevant to my legal practice.’’