Sixteen #EndSARS campaigners, who participated in the protests have petitioned a Federal High Court in Abuja to reverse the restriction placed on their accounts by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The CBN earlier on received approval from the Federal High Court in Abuja to freeze the accounts of about 19 individuals and a public affairs company linked to the #EndSARS protests till January. 16 of the affected persons filed a motion on Thursday through their lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), to set aside the order and unfreeze their accounts. In a supporting affidavit, the apex bank had also alleged that the #EndSARS campaigners may have received their funding through acts of terrorism and asked the judge to swiftly freeze the accounts.
The 16 applicants include Bolatito ‘Rinu’ Oduala, who is a member of the panel set up by the Lagos State Government to look into police brutality, Chima Ibebunjoh, Mary Kpengwa, Saadat Bibi, Bassey Israel, Wisdom Obi, Nicholas Osazele, Ebere Idibie, Akintomide Yusuf, Uhuo Promise, Mosopefoluwa Odeseye, Adegoke Pamilerin, Umoh Ekanem, Babatunde Segun, Mary Oshifowora and Idunnu Williams.
While contending that the freezing of their bank accounts was an act of illegality, they stressed that the CBN Governor, Ifeanyi Emefiele froze the accounts before approaching the court much later for a freezing order.
They also argued that the court order permitting Emefiele to freeze their accounts for 90 days was a violation of their right to a fair hearing under Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution and Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Laws of the Federation, 2004.
Faulting their being labelled as terrorist by the CBN governor, the #EndSARS campaigners said the CBN was neither one of the investigating nor prosecuting agencies recognised under the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2011, and the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2013.
