Court orders freezing of 13 bank accounts linked to suspected terrorism

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the freezing of 13 bank accounts linked to a suspected terrorist, Henry Okocha.

The order was issued on Friday by Justice Peter Lifu 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 brought under the provisions of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022. In support of the motion, the DSS submitted an eight-paragraph affidavit, alleging that Okocha’s accounts received substantial amounts of money suspected to be proceeds of terrorism.

The DSS requested that the court grant an order to freeze the accounts for 90 days to allow for forensic investigations into Okocha’s alleged terrorist activities. However, Justice Lifu granted the order for a 60-day period, stating that this would allow the DSS to conduct the necessary investigations.

The affected accounts are held in seven different financial institutions, including First Bank of Nigeria, Guaranty Trust Bank, United Bank for Africa, Union Bank of Nigeria, Providus Bank, Palmpay Limited, and Resolut Limited.

Okocha has been taken into DSS custody for further investigation. The freezing of his accounts is seen as a crucial step in unraveling the network of individuals involved in the alleged acts of terrorism.