A federal court in Abuja has ordered banks to freeze the accounts of 32 individuals and companies linked to the #EndBadGovernance protest..
On August 1, young Nigerians began a nationwide protest against the economic difficulties and rising inflation in the country.
The protest was called “10 Days of Rage” and tagged with the hashtag #EndBadGovernance.
Following an ex parte application by Ibrahim Mohammed, Legal Adviser to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Presiding Judge Emeka Nwite ordered the banks to arrest the account holders or any person conducting business through the said accounts allegedly linked to the protesters.
“The Hon’ble Court hereby directs the banks to provide details of the account packages, post no debit (PND) endorsement on the accounts and deactivate the ATMs but still allow inflow of funds into the said accounts from the date of this court order,” the judge said.
According to NAN, the judgment was delivered on August 20, but the certified copy of the judgment was only released in Abuja on Sunday.
“The IG 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 1st to 5th respondents in the application marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1219/2024,” the CTC said.
“Others are Great Communicators Champion Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd, Opaluwa Eleojo Bob-Simon, NUEE State Chapter, Adeyemi Abiodun Abayomi, Adaramoye Michael Tobiloba and Popoola Festus as 6th to 11th respondents.”
Mohammed said the accounts were under investigation and there were reasonable suspicions that proceeds from illegal activities or fraud were being stored there.
He said the accounts were used to promote crimes of criminal conspiracy, terrorist financing, treason, cyberbullying and cyberstalking.
“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.
“That the defendants were involved in raising the flag of another country to undermine the sovereignty of the Nigerian state.”
In an affidavit in support of the motion, Gregory Woji, a detective with the Criminal Investigation Department, said preliminary investigations revealed that some of the arrested suspects were recruited by financiers to create chaos and destroy lives and properties.
He added that those funding the protests were sending money to recruit the needy and other vulnerable people to carry banners and overthrow a democratically elected government.
Woji said some foreign nationals were the “core force behind the unscrupulous act of treason and facilitation of terrorism financing in Nigeria.”
“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 the investigation and possible prosecution,” Woji told the court.
