Court freezes 32 bank accounts linked to #EndBadGovernance protesters

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the freezing of 32 bank accounts belonging to individuals and companies linked to the recent #EndBadGovernance protest.

The order, issued by Justice Emeka Nweze, is pending the outcome of the police investigation and prosecution of the case.

Justice Nweze issued the order while ruling on an ex-parte motion filed by Ibrahim Mohammed, counsel for the Inspector General of Police (IGP). The police alleged that the accounts were used to promote criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felonies, cyberbullying, and cyberstalking.

Nweze then ordered the banks to apprehend the account holders or any person transacting business on the said accounts. He ordered the banks to contact the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) through the telephone numbers: 08035179870 and 07032449912 as soon as any arrest was made.

“The banks are hereby directed by this honourable court to issue details of the account package(s) and to place a Post-No-Debit (PND) on the accounts, disable the ATM while allowing inflow into the said accounts as from the date of this court order,” Justice Nweze said.

Listed as respondents in the case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1219/2024, are PA.LIN.HO Global Service Ltd, Innocent Angel Lovet Chinyere Nkiru, Obidient Movement Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Innocent Angel Lovet, Great Communicators Champion Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd, Opaluwa Eleojo Bob-Simon, NUEE State Chapter, Adeyemi Abiodun Abayomi, Adaramoye Michael Tobiloba, and Popoola Festus.

The affected accounts 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), 4936992542 (Fairmoney Microfinance Bank), 8755008499 (Branch International Financial Services Ltd), 2088228208 (UBA), 2115678044 (Zenith Bank), 3041823452 (First Bank), 1011828445 (New Edge Finance), 3024402748 (First Bank), 0161502459 (GTBank), 0040580047 (Access Bank), 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 Ltd), 8137051249 (OPAY), and 8137051249 (PALMPAY).

Mohammed, in moving the motion, stated that the accounts listed are under investigation and are reasonably suspected of containing proceeds from illegal activities or fraud.

“If there is any dealing with the account by way of withdrawal or transfer to another account by the persons under investigation/investigator, the persons that have absolute power to deal with the account will render nugatory any consequential order(s) which the court may make at the conclusion of this application,” Mohammed said.

He stated that the accounts are used to promote the offences of criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felonies, cyberbullying, and cyberstalking, which were illegally transferred to the accounts of the accused persons now at large. Mohammed noted that the accused persons were involved in hosting another country’s flag to undermine the sovereignty of the Nigerian state.

Mohammed added that a preliminary investigation revealed that the financiers were sending money to recruit the poor and other vulnerable people to carry banners and overthrow a democratically elected government.

He added that the preliminary investigation further revealed that some foreign nationals were key figures in the acts of treasonable felony and promoting terrorism financing in Nigeria.

Mohammed stated that the acts of the respondents were akin to the offences of criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felonies, cyberstalking, and cyberbullying.

He said it is the function of the police to stop these acts by apprehending the offenders, as an offence to one is an offence to all.

According to him, intelligence reports gathered so far reveal that the suspects are making efforts to transfer or withdraw money from the accounts, and unless this honourable court grants this order, the investigation will be jeopardised.

He added, “It will be in the interest of justice to grant this request by freezing the accounts of the said suspects and order their immediate arrest on sighting them pending the outcome of the investigation and possible prosecution.”