By Fola James
The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN has frozen 11 bank accounts domiciled in the First City Monument Bank, a new generation bank following an order to that effect by a Federal high court in Abuja. The court issued the order following a motion ex parte by the apex bank dated March 16, praying the court for an order directing FCMB to freeze forthwith all transactions in the said bank accounts until investigation is concluded on the issues connected to a female who is an ‘Assistant Manager of the CBN, Central Business District, Oluwatoyosi Suwebat Oladipo’.
The court granted the motion by CBN requesting the Yemi Edun-led FCMB to freeze the said account“for a period of 180 days pending the outcome of investigation and inquiry currently being conducted by the Central Bank of Nigeria.”
The bank accounts include two bank accounts in the name of Albert Austin Ugochukwu, a businessman; one account belonging to Belfour Energy & Allied Services, three accounts belonging to Belfour Oil and Gas LTD, one account belonging to Circle Flow Integrated Services, three accounts belonging to Kacynaus Realty Nig LTD and one account belonging to Tasmara Integrated Services.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed, granted the application for “An interim order is made empowering the applicant to direct the head office of First City Monument Bank Ltd to freeze forthwith all transactions on the bank accounts listed on the motion paper for a period of 45 days only pending the outcome of investigation currently being conducted by the Central Bank of Nigeria,” the judge ruled.
“The order is renewable on expiration but only on good reasons shown. The applicant (CBN) shall publish this order on its website within three days from today. Any person or persons affected by this order are entitled to approach the court to seek to set aside, discharge or have the order reviewed for good reasons shown.”
Meanwhile, the court urged any person affected by the order to approach it to seek to set aside, discharge or have the order reviewed for good reasons, adding that the order was renewable on expiration but only on good reasons.
The court therefore fixed May 17, 2021 for mention of the substantive suit.
