Court Freezes Ozekhome’s Account

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday gave an order temporarily freezing N75 million belonging to Chief Mike Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, in an account with the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB).
Presided over by Justice Abdulaziz Anka, the order followed the court’s ruling on the motion ex-parte by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) seeking a temporary freezing of the account.
The anti-graft agency, which uncovered the bank account, prayed the court to freeze the amount on the ground that the N75 million found in the said account on December 15, 2016, is an alleged proceeds of crime.
Idris Mohammed, who argued the application filed by Rotimi Oyedepo, counsel to the EFCC, told the court that the application was brought pursuant to Section 29 of the EFCC Act. He also told the court that three exhibits marked 01, 02 and 03 were attached to the motion ex-parte.
Mohammed also said an affidavit of urgency, sworn to by an investigator of the agency, Tosin Owobo, has been attached to the EFCC’s application.
He therefore, urged the court to grant the motion ex-parte and order a temporary forfeiture of funds in the account for 120 days.
In his bench ruling on the motion, Justice Anka ordered that the said account with the sum of N75 million belonging to Ozekhome be frozen for 120 days. He, however ,said any of the parties dissatisfied with the ruling was free to file an appeal.