on Tuesday, August 6, 2019, ordered the freezing of the sum of N9.9bn
belonging to the Lagos State government.
The funds are domiciled in First City Monument Bank, FCMB, account
number 5617984012; Access Bank account number 0060949275 and Zenith Bank
account number 1011691254, respectively.
Justice Chuka Obiozor gave the order, following an ex-parte application
filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The EFCC had prayed the court to freeze the account pending the
conclusion of investigation and possible prosecution of Adewale
Adesanya, the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Chief of Staff to
former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.
The applicant, EFCC, in an affidavit deposed to by Kungmi Daniel, an
operative of the Commission, stated that there was “a huge inflow of
N9,927,714,443.29” from the state accounts into an FCMB bank account
opened on September 17, 2018 during the administration of the immediate
past governor of the state, Akinwunmi Ambode, and operated by Adesanya.
It was further stated that the schedule of the FCMB account showed how
Adesanya and other signatories to the account made fraudulent transfer
from the accounts of the Lagos State Government and dissipated the funds
housed in the said accounts.
In his submission, counsel to the EFCC, Mohammed Abbas, said “The trend
in the account is that the account always witnessed huge inflow from
Lagos State Government in the above scheduled accounts managed by the
respondent (Adesanya)”.
Abbas, therefore, prayed the court to grant an order to temporarily
attach and take over the accounts to enable it conclude its
investigations.
“There have been concerted efforts and attempts to dissipate the
contents of the accounts listed in the schedule to this application.
“Without freezing the nominated accounts and temporarily forfeiting the
money to the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, there is no
way the fraud being perpetrated using the scheduled accounts can be
stopped,” he further told the court.
Consequently, Justice Obiozor granted the prayers of the counsel to the
Commission.
The Judge adjourned further proceedings to September 9, 2019.