A Federal High Court in Abuja issued an order on Friday freezing 13 bank accounts linked to Henry Okocha, a suspected terrorist.
Justice Peter Lifu granted the order in response to an ex parte application brought by the Department of State Services, represented by attorney Yunus Umar.
The ex parte application, FHC/ABJ/CS/1036/2024, was filed under Sections 5 and 81 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.
In an 8-paragraph statement supporting the ex-parte motion, the DSS informed the court that the defendant had received considerable sums of money in the accounts, amounting to millions of naira, which were suspected to be terrorist earnings.
Umar demanded that the court order the agency to freeze Okocha’s accounts for 90 days to enable a comprehensive forensic examination into his suspected terrorist conduct.
The DSS attorney argued that blocking the accounts would allow the agency to identify and bring the criminals to justice.
Banks where the accounts are held include First Bank of Nigeria, Guarantee Trust Bank, United Bank for Africa, Union Bank of Nigeria, Providus Bank, Palmpay Limited, and Resolut Limited.
In his order, Justice Lifu allowed the DSS’s request to freeze the bank accounts but restricted the investigation term to 60 days rather than the anticipated 90.
He determined that the accounts, which are held by seven different banks, would be “frozen for 60 days to enable the applicant to conduct the necessary forensic investigations into the alleged acts of terrorism by the defendant.”
The DSS announced that Okocha had been arrested and brought into jail for further investigation.
