A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted Department of State Services (DSS) application to freeze the bank accounts of Aisha Abdulkarim who is under investigation for alleged terrorism
Justice Peter Lifu made the order for the DSS to cool the 20 different bank accounts belonging to the suspect for 60 days.
The banks where the accounts are domiciled are Opay Digital Services Limited, Access Bank, United Bank for Africa, Guaranty Trust Bank, Union Bank of Nigeria, Moniepoint Microfinance Bank, First Bank of Nigeria, and First City Monument Bank.
A breakdown of the accounts showed that five are domiciled at Access Bank and Moniepoint each, four at Opay, two at UBA, while GTB, First Bank, Union Bank, and FCMB have one each domiciled in their care.
Although the DSS requested 90 days to embargo the accounts, Justice Lifu only granted 60 days, with a charge to the security agency to be diligent and fast-track its investigation.
The judge held that the law presumes the suspected terrorist is innocent for now and, as such, must not be subjected to unnecessary hardships through the account embargo under the guise of whatever investigation.
