Court grants EFCC’s request to freeze Bauchi govt account

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Monday, granted the request by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to freeze the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) operational account of the Bauchi state government.

Justice Taiwo Taiwo, who was sitting as a vacation judge, granted the motion ex parte after listening to EFCC counsel, Abubakar Aliyu.

Aliyu had told the court that between the 24th and 28th day of May 2019, the applicant received intelligence that the then administration of Bauchi State initiated a process of overdrawing to launder the sum of N19,897,809,334.08, property of the state government.

That the bank account, subject matter of the intelligence, is the Bauchi State government operational account number 0998552074 domiciled at First City Monument Bank.

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The EFCC counsel disclosed that “the actual amount in the said bank account is N11,500,000.000.00, which was paid to Bauchi State government by the Federal government via the Central Bank.

In an affidavit deposed to by Yakubu Sani on July 22, 2019, the commission averred that the “Bauchi State Accountant-General is one of the signatories that cleared the said cheques and mandate for the said suspicious payment and still remains a signatory to the said account under investigation.

“That based on intelligence received, attempts were being made to activate the withdrawal of such funds while still under an investigation by the current government of Bauchi State.

“That investigation has since commenced and the applicant deems it necessary to cause the said bank account and funds to be frozen pending the determination of the investigation therein.

“That freezing the said bank account and funds will greatly assist the applicants to get to the root of the matter and conclude its investigation.

“That deflating the said funds by way of withdrawal will greatly obstruct the applicant from getting to the root of the matter and conclusion of the investigation.

“That the applicant needs to obtain the order of this court to cause the freezing of the said bank account and the funds therein.

He further urged the EFCC to put the party concern on notice of the order within 21 days, adjourning the matter till September 3.

In 2018, the anti-graft agency had frozen accounts belonging to the Benue state government and Akwa Ibom state, respectively.

Three bank accounts belonging to the Benue state government were frozen. The commission had linked Samuel Ortom, governor of the state, to the tune of N22 billion fraud but the governor had denied the allegation.

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