‘Money Laundering’: Court freezes 21 bank accounts, orders owners’ arrest
A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the interim freezing of 21 bank accounts domiciled in various commercial banks over allegations of money laundering.
The presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, also directed the Nigeria Police Force to arrest the account holders.
The court granted the order on Friday following a motion ex parte marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1965/V/2024, filed by Ibrahim Mohammed, counsel for the Inspector-General of Police (IGP).
The judge further instructed the banks to issue details of the account packages, place a post-no-debit (PND) on the accounts, and disable ATMs while allowing inflows into the accounts pending the conclusion of investigations.
“I have listened to the submission of the learned counsel for the applicant and gone through the affidavit evidence. I am of the view that the motion ex parte is meritorious,” Justice Nwite stated.
The freezing order is effective for 90 days, after which the matter will come up for mention on April 3, 2025.
The accounts are domiciled in major banks, including: Access Bank Plc, Sterling Bank Ltd, Zenith Bank Plc, Fidelity Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Keystone Bank Plc, among others.
In an affidavit, Glory Ohio, a detective attached to the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), disclosed that the accounts are linked to alleged unlawful activities, including fraud and breach of trust.
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Ohio noted that the IGP received a petition alleging misconduct in a joint venture agreement between the complainant and the suspect, operating under the company Indetix Limited.
Key Allegations:
Diversion of funds disbursed by the Nigerian Navy for contracts.
Removal of the complainant as a signatory to the joint account.
Use of multiple accounts to launder money and conceal illegal activities.
According to Ohio, the suspect transferred funds to various accounts under the guise of contract-related expenses but later retrieved the funds for personal use.
The detective highlighted that unless the court intervened, there was a significant risk of the suspects transferring or withdrawing funds from the accounts, which would jeopardise the investigation.
Written by Sakinat Musa Abubakar, Editor at Neptune Prime
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