The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court has frozen the bank accounts of 32 individuals and companies linked to the 10-day nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest pending the completion of investigations and prosecution of the case.
In a ruling on the ex parte application filed by counsel for the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Mohammed, Justice Emeka Nwite also ordered the banks to arrest the account holders or any person conducting transactions through the said accounts.
Mr Nwite, who granted the application filed on August 20, directed the banks to contact the Nigerian Police on telephone numbers 08035179870 and 07032449912 in case of arrest.
“The Hon’ble Court hereby directs the banks to release details of the account packages, put Post No Debit (PND) endorsement on the accounts and deactivate the ATMs but continue to allow inflow of funds into the said accounts from the date of this court order,” the judge said.
Although the decision was made on Thursday, the certified copy of the judgment was viewed in Abuja on Sunday.
The account numbers affected include 4010073491 (Fidelity Bank), 1255130019 (Access Bank), 0006084167 (Abbey Mortgage Multipurpose Bank Plc), 0821931299 (FCMB), 1012007655 (FCMB), 0000575573 (A AG Mortgage Bank Plc), 1007871587 (UBA), 2037117333 (UBA), 5421031104 (ECOBANK) and 0024541201 (Union Bank).
Others are 1022899050 (UBA), 8755008491 (Branch International Services Ltd), 5630208636 (Fidelity) and 4936992542 (Fairmoney Microfinance Bank).
Others include 8755008499 (Branch International Financial Services Ltd), 2088228208 (UBA), 2115678044 (Zenith Bank), 3041823452 (First Bank), 1011828445 (New Edge Finance), 3024402748 (Fusrt Bank), 0161502459 (GTBank) and 004 0580047 (Access Bank ).
These also include 0250291788 (Wema Bank), 6112464260 (Branch International Financial Services Ltd), 1000774097 (Sparkle Microfinance Bank Ltd), 3434649965 (Fairmoney Microfinance Bank), 2013556714 (KUDA Microfinance Bank), 3104962864 (Polaris Bank), 6112464267 (Branch International Finance Services Lit), 8137051249 (OPAY) and 8137051249 (PALMPAY).
The IGP had listed PA.LIN.HO Global Service Ltd, Innocent Angel Lovet Chinyere Nkiru, Obidient Movement Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Innocent Angel Lovet and Great Communicators Champion Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd as the first to fifth respondents in the application marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1219/2024.
Other participants include Great Communicators Champion Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd, Opaluwa Eleojo Bob-Simon, NUEE State Chapter, Adeyemi Abiodun Abayomi, Adaramoye Michael Tobiloba and Popoola Festus as sixth to eleventh respondents.
In his four-point argument, Mr Mohammed said that the accounts included in the statement in respect of which compensation is sought are under investigation and there are reasonable grounds to suspect that proceeds of illicit activities or fraud are being deposited there.
“If the persons under investigation/investigators and the persons having absolute authority to dispose of the account tamper with the account in any way by withdrawing money or transferring it to any other account, any consequent orders passed by the court after the disposal of this application will become ineffective,” he said.
According to him, the accounts are used to further crimes of criminal conspiracy, terrorist financing, treason, cyberbullying and cyberstalking and the money was illegally transferred to the account of the defendants who are now at large.
“The defendants were involved in raising the flag of another country to undermine the sovereignty of the Nigerian state,” he added.
In his affidavit in support of the ex parte application, Gregory Woji, a detective in the Criminal Investigation Department, stated that preliminary investigations revealed that some of the arrested suspects were recruited by financiers to create chaos and destroy lives and properties.
Mr Woji said preliminary investigations had also revealed that donors were sending money to recruit the needy and other vulnerable people to carry banners and overthrow a democratically elected government.
According to him, preliminary investigations also revealed that some foreign nationals were the driving force behind the unscrupulous act of treason and facilitation of terrorism financing in Nigeria.
He said the defendants’ actions amounted to criminal conspiracy, terrorist financing, high treason, cyberstalking and cyberbullying.
He said it was the police’s job to stop these acts by arresting the perpetrators, because a crime against one is a crime against all.
“The intelligence report available so far shows that the suspects are trying to transfer or withdraw money from the accounts. If this honourable court does not grant this order, the investigation will be jeopardised.”
“It is in the interest of justice to grant this request by freezing the accounts of the said suspects and ordering their immediate arrest upon sighting, pending the outcome of investigations and possible prosecution,” Mr Woji said.
(NAN)
