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DSS Secures Fresh Order To Freeze 13 Bank Accounts Over Alleged Terrorism
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the freezing of 13 different bank accounts reportedly linked to one Henry Okocha, suspected to be a terrorist.
The order followed an ex-parte application made by the Department of the State Services (DSS), through its counsel Yunus Umar.
The accounts are domiciled in seven different banks and are to remain frozen for 60 days, to enable the agency conduct forensic investigations into the alleged acts of terrorism by the suspect.
SaharaReporters reported on Sunday that a Federal High Court in Abuja had issued an order freezing the bank accounts of 32 individuals and companies allegedly linked to the #EndBadGovernance protests that took place across Nigeria between August 1 and August 10.
Justice Emeka Nwite who issued an ex-parte order freezing those accounts including cooperative society accounts, through a motion ex-parte filed by the Inspector-General of Police’s counsel, Ibrahim Mohammed, also directed banks to detain account holders or anyone found transacting business on the affected accounts, pending investigation and prosecution.
In a recent ex-parte order issued by Justice Peter Lifu, the court permitted the DSS to place an embargo on the bank accounts for 60 days for investigation.
In an 8-paragraph affidavit in support of the ex-parte motion, according to Daily Post, Okocha was accused by the DSS of receiving millions of naira into the accounts and was strongly suspected of being proceeds of terrorism.
He was confirmed to have been taken into the custody of the security agency following his arrest for an investigation.
Arguing the application, DSS counsel, Mr Umar, informed Justice Lifu that the DSS needed the freezing order to prevent the suspect from using the fund for illicit activities against innocent Nigerians.
The lawyer also told the judge that the embargo on the accounts would enable the DSS to unravel the perpetrators and bring them before the court for prosecution.
The ex-parte application marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1036/2024 was brought under sections 5 and 81 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.
The banks where the accounts are domiciled are United Bank for Africa, Guaranty Trust Bank, Union Bank of Nigeria, First Bank of Nigeria, Providus Bank, Palmpay Limited and Resolut Limited.
Justice Lifu turned down the request to put an embargo on the accounts for 90 days but permission for 60 days.
The DSS had days ago sought and obtained an ex-parte order freezing 20 bank accounts belonging to one Aisha Abdulkarim, a woman accused of being a terrorist.
No fewer than 24 people were killed and more than 40 injured in a bomb blast at a railway station in Quetta in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday, police and other officials told Reuters.
Pakistan is grappling with a surge in strikes by separatist ethnic militants in the south and Islamist militants in its northwest.
Inspector general of police for Balochistan, Mouzzam Jah Ansari, said 24 people have died from the blast so far.
The target was army personnel from the Infantry School,” he said, with many of the injured in critical condition.
“So far 44 injured people have been brought to civil hospital,” Dr. Wasim Baig, a hospital spokesman, told Reuters.
Senior superintendent of police operations, Muhammad Baloch, said the blast seemed to be a suicide bomb and that investigations were underway for more information.
“The blast took place inside the railway station when the Peshawar-bound express was about to leave for its destination,” Baloch said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the blast at Quetta’s main railway station, which is usually busy early in the day.
In August, at least 73 people were killed in Balochistan province after separatist militants attacked police stations, railway lines and highways.
The assaults in August were the most widespread in years by militants fighting a decades-long insurgency to win secession of the resource-rich southwestern province, home to major China-led projects such as a port and a gold and copper mine.
Operatives of the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested two Chinese siblings: Wang Jiang and Wang Richard for allegedly making efforts to export some solid minerals without requisite permit.
While Jiang was arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport ,Enugu, the rest, including two Nigerians, Donatus Agupusi and Michael Benneth Agu, were arrested at the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the EFCC.
Their arrest followed an intelligence received by the Commission through the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN on November 3, 2024 involving Jiang who was intercepted at the hold baggage screening point, where unidentified suspicious stones believed to be solid minerals wrapped in three different pieces were discovered in his luggage.
Preliminary investigations into the matter revealed that Agupusi, owner of Great Wall Construction Limited, is the employer of the remaining suspects. Investigation also revealed that Jiang was attempting to travel out of the country with the solid minerals in order to carry out some tests on them in China.
Investigations further revealed that none of the four suspects had a permit to export the solid minerals to China.
The suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.
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