Court summons EFCC, 2 banks over freezing of Benue accounts

A Federal High Court sitting in Makurdi on Thursday summoned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and two commercial banks to appear before it over the recent freezing of the state government bank accounts. Daily Trust reports that the banks are United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Fidelity Bank. This development was sequel to […]

A Federal High Court sitting in Makurdi on Thursday summoned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and two commercial banks to appear before it over the recent freezing of the state government bank accounts.

Daily Trust reports that the banks are United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Fidelity Bank.

This development was sequel to the action of EFCC on August 7, this year when it ordered the freezing of Benue State government’s accounts in UBA and Fidelity banks, a decision that the government claimed adversely affected its business for some days.

The court in the writ of summons issued to the defendants demanded that EFCC and the two banks to, within 30 days, state why they carried out their action of freezing the Benue State government accounts.

The state government had through the office of Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice prayed the court to declare that EFCC acted against the law when it directed the banks to freeze its accounts.

Also, the Benue state government demanded a declaration of the court that by freezing the said accounts, EFCC denied the government the right to operate and transact on the affected accounts.

In the same vein, the suit seeks the verdict of the court to the effect that a state government’s account maintained with any bank or financial institution in Nigeria does not fall within the class of bank accounts liable to be frozen by EFCC.

While the state government also sought relief of an order of perpetual injunction restraining the EFCC or its agents from freezing accounts held in UBA and Fidelity Bank or any other bank as it demanded N30 billion from the defendants as damages suffered during the periods the accounts were frozen.

The matter has been adjourned to October 18.