Court Grants DSS Request To Freeze 20 Bank Accounts Of Female Suspected Terrorist

The Department of State Services (DSS) has obtained a directive from the Federal High Court in Abuja to freeze 20 bank accounts associated with a suspected female terrorist, Aisha Abdulkarim.

Base on the request granted, these accounts, held across eight different banking institutions, are to remain frozen for a duration of 60 days, allowing the secret police to conduct forensic investigations into the alleged terrorist activities of the account holder.

Justice Peter Lifu granted the freezing order following an ex-parte application presented and argued by the DSS.

Additionally, Yehusa Idris and Abdullahi Babayo Umar are also implicated in the alleged terrorist activities and have been apprehended by the security agency in separate locations.

The DSS’s ex-parte application was presented by its attorney, Yunus Ishaku Umar, who informed Justice Lifu that the freezing order was essential for the DSS to facilitate unobstructed access to the eight banks where the accounts are maintained.

A copy of the ex-parte application, referenced as FHC/ABJ/CS/1036/2024, was reviewed by our correspondent during the court proceedings.

The banks involved include 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.

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An analysis of the accounts revealed that Access Bank and Moniepoint each hold five accounts, Opay has four, while UBA maintains two. Additionally, GTB, First Bank, Union Bank, and FCMB each have one account under their management.

Despite the DSS’s request for a 90-day embargo on the accounts, Justice Lifu approved only a 60-day period, instructing the security agency to act diligently and expedite its investigation.

The judge emphasized that the law currently presumes the suspected terrorists to be innocent and, therefore, they should not endure unnecessary hardships due to the account embargo imposed under the pretext of an investigation.