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Court freezes 32 individuals, firms’ accounts linked to Aug. protests
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A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an order freezing 32 bank accounts belonging to individuals and firms linked to the economic crisis protests, which took place in the first week of this month.
The protests took place in spite warnings by security agents it stood the risk of being hijacked by hoodlums and criminal elements.
Lootings, destruction of public and private properties accompanied the action as a result of which more than a hundred people were arrested. Some people, including policemen, were confirmed dead.
Justice Emeka Nweze, who issued the order, said the accounts shall remain frozen pending the conclusion of police’s investigation and prosecution of the case.
Justice Nweze issued the order while ruling on an order ex-parte motion filed and argued for Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun.
In the ruling rendered on Thursday, an enrolled copy of which The Nation sighted yesterday, the judge equally 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 through the telephone numbers: 08035179870 and 07032449912 as soon as any arrest was made.
Justice Nwite said: “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.”
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, and Great Communicators Champion Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd.
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.
The affected accounts are domiciled in major national banks, microfinance banks and fin-tech banks.
Counsel to the Egbetokun, Ibrahim Mohammed, while moving the motion, said the accounts as contained in the schedule in respect of which reliefs sought are subject of investigation and are reasonably suspected to be warehousing proceeds of unlawful activities or fraud.
He added: “If there is any dealing with the account by way of withdrawal or transfer to another account by the persons under investigation/investigator and 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.”
He stated that the accounts are used to promote the offence of criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, cyberbullying and cyberstalking which was illegally transferred to the account of the accused persons now at large.
Mohammed added: “That the accused persons were involved in hosting another country’s flag in order to undermine the sovereignty of Nigerian state.”
In a supporting affidavit, it was stated that preliminary investigation revealed that some suspects arrested were being recruited by some financiers to cause mayhem and destroyed life and property.
Mohammed said preliminary investigation further revealed that the financiers were sending money to recruit the indigents and other vulnerable individuals to carry banners and overthrow a democratically elected government.
He added that preliminary investigation further reveals that some foreign nationals were the harrow head in the unscrupulous act of treasonable felony and promoting terrorism financing in Nigeria.
Mohammed stated that the act of the respondents was akin to the offence of criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, cyberstalking and cyberbullying.
He said it is the function of the police to stop this act by apprehending the offenders as offence to one is an offence to all.
According to him intelligent report gathered so far reveals that the suspects are making effort to transfer or withdraw money from the accounts and unless this honourable court grants this order, otherwise, the investigation will be jeopardise.
He added: “That it will be in the interest of justice to grant this request by freezing the account of the said suspects and order their immediate arrest on sighting them pending the outcome of the investigation and possible prosecution.”
Son of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, Bashir, has vowed never to forgive the All Progressives Congress, APC, over what he described as an attack on his family during its weakest moment.
Bashir said even if his father emerged victorious from his current ordeal like India’s nationalist, Mahatma Gandhi, he would personally refuse to forgive the APC.
He made the remarks in a post on X, where he also expressed his intention to acquire political power with the aim of retaliating against those he accused of attacking his family.
Bashir said he would pursue power for the purpose of confronting members of the APC whom he accused of turning against his family when it was vulnerable.
He, however, exempted Mahmud Ribadu, whom he described as his biological brother, from the threat, saying everyone else could be targeted.
His comments came amid an ongoing face-off between him and his brother, Bello, a member of the House of Representatives.
On Friday, Bashir had used derogatory remarks against Bello over an undisclosed family dispute and sibling rivalry.
Meanwhile, El-Rufai has spent about 200 days in detention under the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, over alleged corruption during his tenure as governor of Kaduna State.
Niger’s national television was off air on Saturday after a night of heavy gunfire in parts of the capital, including around a military base near the city’s airport which has been attacked twice this year by jihadists.
Niger has been ruled for three years by a military junta that has struggled to contain jihadist violence, which has blighted the West African country for around a decade.
The origins of Saturday’s shooting were not immediately clear but the military said: “In light of current events, let us remain calm and avoid sharing unverified information.
“Our defence and security forces have been mobilised for the defence of the homeland,” it wrote on its official social media pages.
One local resident told AFP that there was “heavy gunfire and explosions” at Base 101 in Niamey, a report confirmed by several other witnesses.
At 9:00 am (0800 GMT), a black screen had replaced Tele Sahel’s programming both via satellite and online. Soldiers blocked access to the presidential palace and national television, residents added.
The first shots were heard at about 1:00 am local time (0000 GMT) and continued until daybreak, according to a video published by a local journalist filming the area around the airport.
Another local resident said he heard “bursts of gunfire” at about 7:00 am local time.
“I went to get credit for my phone. I saw a military vehicle heading towards the base that had to turn back,” he added.
“The weapons we’re hearing are not the kind that terrorists on motorbikes can carry. The fighting has been non-stop since last night.”
Another resident in the west of Niamey said he heard sporadic small arms fire at about 5:00 am.
Several social media posts also reported shooting and explosions in the city, particularly in the administrative area where the presidential palace and national television station are located.
Videos online showed armoured vehicles deployed to reinforce the neighbourhood near the airport.
– Rival jihadist groups –
Niamey airport has been targeted twice this year by jihadists, first by the Islamic State in the Sahel (EIS) in January, then in late June by their rivals the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), the Sahel branch of Al-Qaeda.
The jihadist groups not only target civilians and the military but are also struggling for dominance over each other in the Sahel, and especially in Niger.
Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo brought humour to the 60th birthday celebration of the Olota of Ota, Oba Professor Abdulkabir Obalanlege, as he jokingly promised to attend the monarch’s 70th birthday while asking to be excused from the 80th.
Obasanjo, who is 89, made the remark while speaking in Yoruba at the anniversary celebration held in honour of the traditional ruler.
The former president recalled calling Obalanlege earlier in the morning to pray for him before turning his attention to the monarch’s future milestone birthdays.
“Kabiyesi, I called you this morning and prayed for you,” Obasanjo said.
He then calculated his own age in relation to the monarch’s next major birthday celebrations, telling the gathering that he would be 99 when Obalanlege clocks 70 in 10 years.
“I’m here celebrating your 60th birthday. I’ll join you for your 70th birthday in 10 years,” he said.
However, Obasanjo joked that attending the monarch’s 80th birthday celebration 20 years from now might be beyond his reach.
“But for your 80th birthday, which is 20 years from now, ẹ yonda mi (you’ll excuse me); you’ll celebrate that one the way it pleases you,” he added.
The comment drew laughter from dignitaries, traditional rulers and other guests who gathered to celebrate the Olota’s diamond jubilee.
The celebration also featured a notable display of Yoruba cultural respect when Fuji musician, King Wasiu Ayinde, popularly known as K1 De Ultimate, prostrated fully before Obasanjo after coming on stage.
The gesture further added to the cultural significance of the event held to mark Oba Obalanlege’s 60th birthday.
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