The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the freezing of bank accounts belonging to 32 individuals and companies allegedly linked to the #EndBadGovernance protests that swept across Nigeria.
The ruling was delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite following an ex-parte motion filed by the counsel representing the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Mohammed.
According to the court’s order, all affected banks are mandated to freeze the accounts, detain the account holders, or anyone found conducting transactions on these accounts, pending further investigation and potential prosecution.
The court also instructed the banks to contact the Nigeria Police Force immediately upon making any arrests related to the case.
Justice Nwite’s order, issued on August 20, directs the banks to place a Post-No-Debit (PND) on the accounts, effectively disabling ATM access but allowing inflows of funds.
The directive also compels the banks to provide details of the account packages involved.
The ruling has targeted a wide range of accounts, including those held in Fidelity Bank, Access Bank, FCMB, UBA, EcoBank, Union Bank, and other financial institutions.
Notably, the accounts include those of individuals and entities such as PA.LIN.HO Global Service Ltd, Obedient Movement Multipurpose Cooperative Society, and various other cooperative societies and individuals allegedly connected to the protests.
The Inspector-General of Police, in his application marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1219/2024, argued that the accounts under scrutiny are suspected of harboring proceeds from unlawful activities, including criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, cyberbullying, and cyberstalking.
The counsel asserted that any further transactions on these accounts could potentially undermine the ongoing investigations and any subsequent legal orders.
In an affidavit supporting the motion, Detective Gregory Woji, attached to the Force Criminal Investigation Department, claimed that preliminary investigations revealed that the accused individuals and entities were involved in financing activities aimed at causing unrest and destabilizing the Nigerian government.
Woji further alleged that funds were funneled into these accounts to recruit vulnerable individuals to participate in acts of rebellion, including hosting another country’s flag to undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty.
The court order comes amid heightened tension and increased scrutiny of the #EndBadGovernance protests, which have seen numerous individuals arrested and detained.
Woji stressed the police’s duty to prevent any illegal activities linked to the protests and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
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