Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s application to freeze 67 bank accounts domiciled in different banks over alleged N52.9 million fraud.

Justice Emeka Nwite granted the application after the EFCC’s lawyer, Martha Babatunde, moved an ex-parte motion to the effect.

The motion ex-parte, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1895/V/2024, was filed by Miracle Anameze.

The motion sought an order empowering the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, or any other officer of the commission empowered by him to instruct the managing directors of the banks to stop all outward payment, operations, or transactions (including any bill of exchange) in respect of the bank accounts pending the conclusion of the investigation.

When the matter was called, the anti-graft lawyer informed the court that the application was dated December 16 and filed on December 17.

Babatunde said: “Our motion prays for an order of this honourable court freezing the bank accounts as stated in the scheduled attached

“There are three grounds attached.”

The lawyer urged the court to grant the application.

Justice Nwite, who held that the application was meritorious, granted the prayer and adjourned the matter till March 24 for mention.

The court also okayed the EFCC’s application to freeze 24 bank accounts domiciled in different banks over allegations bordering on terrorism financing.

Nwite granted the application after the EFCC’s lawyer, Martha Babatunde, moved an ex-parte motion to the effect, giving the commission the go-ahead to freeze the accounts for 90 days pending the conclusion of the investigation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the motion ex-parte, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1897/V/2024, was filed by Ekele Iheanacho, SAN.

Iheanacho said the bank accounts in respect of which the reliefs were sought were subject matter of an investigation by the EFCC in relation to money laundering and terrorism financing.

The senior lawyer said the preliminary investigation conducted thus far revealed that the bank accounts were linked to persons, who took advantage of the virtual cryptocurrency exchange platforms to illegally manipulate the value of naira and laundering proceeds of unlawful activities.

He said there was a need to preserve the funds in the identified bank accounts pending the conclusion of the investigation and possible prosecution.

In the affidavit deposed to by Mohammed Khalil, an investigator attached to the Special Investigation Team of the EFCC domiciled in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), he said he was a member of the team assigned to investigate the matter.

He said the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, directed the team to investigate a serious threat by a syndicate threatening the lives of senior operatives of the NSA by making demands for payments of ransom.