A Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday issued an order to freeze 13 bank accounts linked to a suspected terrorist, Henry Okocha.
Justice Peter Lifu granted the order following an ex-parte application filed by the Department of State Services (DSS), represented by counsel Yunus Umar.
The application, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1036/2024, was filed under sections 5 and 81 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.
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In an 8-paragraph affidavit supporting the motion, the DSS informed the court that the defendant had received substantial sums, amounting to millions of naira, in these accounts, which were suspected to be proceeds of terrorism.
Umar requested the court to issue an order allowing the agency to freeze Okocha’s accounts for 90 days to conduct a comprehensive forensic investigation into his alleged involvement in terrorism.
The DSS counsel argued that freezing the accounts would help identify those responsible and ensure they are brought to justice.
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The accounts in question are held in several banks, including First Bank of Nigeria, Guaranty Trust Bank, United Bank for Africa, Union Bank of Nigeria, Providus Bank, Palmpay Limited, and Resolut Limited.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu granted the DSS’s request to freeze the accounts but reduced the duration from 90 days to 60 days for the investigation.
He ordered that the accounts, domiciled in seven different banks, remain “frozen for 60 days to allow the applicant to conduct the necessary forensic investigations into the alleged acts of terrorism by the defendant.”
The DSS also confirmed that Okocha has been taken into custody following his arrest for investigation.
