The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to unfreeze the bank accounts of 20 #EndSARS promoters.
It set aside the order it made on November 4, 2020 freezing accounts linked with the alleged promoters of the protests that rocked many places across the country last year.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed, in a ruling on Wednesday, also ordered all affected banks to “immediately defreeze the affected accounts.’
He gave the ruling following the agreement reached by parties in the suit to amicably resolve the matter.
The CBN, in an exparte motion marked: FHC/ABJ/ CS/1384/2020 had prayed the court to freeze the bank accounts of Bolatito Rachael Oduala and 19 others who participated in the last year protest to end police brutality in the country.
The apex bank said it took the action to investigate the promoters of the protest on allegations bordering on terrorism financing, among others.
The Judge, who commended counsel to the CBN, Michael Andoaka, SAN, and lawyer to the defendants, Femi Falana, SAN, ruled that “all processes filed in respect of the case are hereby deemed to have been withdrawn.”
He also struck out the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1384/2020 filed by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and in respect of which the ex-parte order freezing the accounts for 180 days was made on November 4, 2020.
The court’s decision was informed by the withdrawal of all processes filed in relation to the suit by lawyers to all parties.
Former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa (SAN), who appeared for the CBN Governor and Femi Falana (SAN), who appeared for those affected by the freezing order, told the court, at the commencement of proceedings, that they have resolved to withdraw all the processes filed for peace to reign and for the ongoing process of reconciliation, at the various panels of enquiry on police brutality across the country, to progress unhindered.
The judge, then, set aside the November 4, 2020 order and ordered that all the accounts of the affected persons “be immediately unfreezed.”
