N200m Suit Filed By Patience Jonathan Against EFCC Challenge Freezing Of $15m Account

Ummmmh only in Africa. At the hearing, Patience’s lawyer, Mr Granville Abibo (SAN), urged the court to restrain the EFCC from tampering with the $15m in the frozen accounts pending the determination of the suit.

The Federal High Court in Lagos has fixed December 7, 2016 to hear the N200m fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by wife of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Skye Bank Plc to challenge the freezing of four bank accounts containing $15m.

The EFCC placed a ‘No Debit Order’ on the four accounts opened in the name of four companies which were linked to a former Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs to ex-President Jonathan, Waripamo-Owei Dudafa.

But Patience had sued the EFCC and Skye Bank claiming the ownership of the $15m found in the four bank accounts.

According to PUNCH, the matter came up for the first time before Justice Babs Kuewumi on Wednesday.

Mr Granville Abibo said despite being served with court processes, the EFCC was still making moves that could overreach the court.

After listening to the parties, Justice Kuewumi adjourned till December 7, 2016 for the hearing of the case.

Patience is urging the court to compel the EFCC to immediately remove the ‘No Debit Order’ placed on the four bank accounts in question.

She also wants the court to order Skye Bank to pay her damages in the sum of N200m for what she termed a violation of  her right to own personal property under Section 44 of the 1999 Constitution.

Filed in support of the suit was an affidavit deposed to by one Sammie Somiari. 

Somiari said it was Dudafa who helped Patience to open the four bank accounts which the EFCC froze.

According to him, Dudafa had on March 22, 2010 brought two Skye Bank officers, Demola Bolodeoku and Dipo Oshodi, to meet Patience at home to open five accounts.

He, however, claimed that after the five accounts were opened, Patience later discovered that Dudafa opened only one of the accounts in her name while the other four were opened in the names of companies belonging to Dudafa.