The EFCC has been granted permission by the court to suspend 24 bank accounts in connection with alleged terrorism financing

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been granted permission by the Federal High Court in Abuja to freeze 24 bank accounts located in various institutions in response to allegations of terrorism financing.

The commission was granted permission to freeze the accounts for 90 days pending the completion of investigations by Justice Emeka Nwite, who granted the application after EFCC’s counsel, Martha Babatunde, filed an ex-parte motion.

Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, filed the motion ex-parte, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1897/V/2024, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Iheanacho requested an order to freeze the bank accounts listed in the schedule, which are owned by Lawrence Lucky Eromosele. Eromosele is presently under investigation for a kidnapping case, and the order is pending the investigation’s conclusion.

He stated that the EFCC is currently conducting investigations into the bank accounts in question, which are the subject of the reliefs sought. These investigations pertain to terrorism financing and money laundering.

The senior lawyer stated that preliminary investigations conducted thus far have indicated that the bank accounts are associated with individuals who unlawfully manipulate the value of the naira and launder the proceeds of unlawful activities by utilizing virtual cryptocurrency exchange platforms.

He stated that the funds in the identified bank accounts must be preserved until the investigation is completed and potential prosecution is pursued.

Mohammed Khalil, an investigator affiliated with the Special Investigation Team of the EFCC, which is located in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), testified in his affidavit that he was a member of the team that was responsible for investigating the matter.

He stated that the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, instructed the team to investigate a grave threat posed by a syndicate that was menacing the lives of senior NSA operatives by requesting ransom payments.

He stated that the team initiated an investigation by conducting surveillance of the activities of these syndicates and requesting bank instruments upon receiving the directive.

According to Kalil, the investigation identified Lawrence Lucky Eromosele as one of the perpetrators of the crime.

He claimed that the operatives were directly threatened with the abduction of their families if they failed to remit redemption payments. The perpetrators provided the operatives with the addresses of their residences, the locations of their families, and the specific movements of their families.