AFederal High Court in Abuja has granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) the authority to freeze 24 bank accounts suspected of involvement in terrorism financing.
Justice Emeka Nwite granted the EFCC’s application following an ex-parte motion filed by the commission’s lawyer, Martha Babatunde.
The accounts, owned by Lawrence Lucky Eromosele, are under investigation for their alleged connections to money laundering and terrorism financing, linked to a kidnapping case.
Justice Nwite’s ruling allows the EFCC to freeze the accounts for a period of 90 days, pending the completion of the investigation.
The motion ex-parte, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1897/V/2024, was filed by Ekele Iheanacho, SAN.
The lawyer stated that the bank accounts in question are part of an ongoing investigation by the EFCC, which is focused on money laundering and terrorism financing.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the lawyer explained that preliminary investigations had shown that these accounts are connected to individuals who exploit virtual cryptocurrency exchange platforms to manipulate the value of the naira and launder the proceeds of illegal activities.
He emphasized the need to preserve the funds in these accounts until the investigation is concluded and any necessary legal actions are taken.
In an affidavit filed by Mohammed Khalil, an investigator with the EFCC’s Special Investigation Team under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), he revealed he was part of the team tasked with this investigation.
Khalil noted that the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, had instructed the team to probe a serious threat posed by a syndicate that was extorting ransom and threatening the lives of senior NSA officials.
Following the directive, the team began surveillance and requested bank records.
The investigation led them to identify Lawrence Lucky Eromosele as a key suspect.
Khalil further explained that the operatives received direct threats against their families, with the perpetrators providing detailed information, such as home addresses and family locations, as part of the extortion attempt.
He also mentioned that one unidentified individual contacted an operative, demanding money for the release of the operative and their family.
The investigator presented evidence of these threats, including a printout of a conversation between one of the perpetrators and an operative, marked as Exhibit EFCC 1.
To reduce the threats, the team traced bank accounts linked to the suspects, with further intelligence indicating that these accounts were used to launder money for terrorist activities.
Khalil stressed that it was crucial for the court to freeze the accounts listed in Schedule 1 of the motion, as the investigation is still ongoing.
At the hearing, Babatunde, representing the EFCC, confirmed that the motion was filed on December 17 and requested the court to freeze the accounts mentioned in the attached schedule. She urged the court to approve this request.
When Justice Nwite inquired about the expected duration of the investigation, Babatunde responded that it would take about 90 days.
The judge granted the request and adjourned the matter until March 24, 2025, for further mention.
Discover more from Defence News Ng
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Reach an audience of millions.
For advert enquiries, please contact us on:
Phone: 08050220674 | 09121408785
Email: [email protected] | [email protected]
