The immediate past Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, Benin Branch, Mr. Douglas Ogbankwa has petitioned the office of the Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Illegal freezing of Bank Accounts without a court order by the Commission. The petition insists on immediate lifting of such illegal post no debits and payment of #50, 000,000 (Fifty Million Naira only) as compensation for the loss of income, trauma and distress to Client.
A copy of the Petition was made available to Bar and Bench News and Matters of the Nigerian Bar at press time by the Petitioner and herewith replicated.
"DOUGLAS OGBANKWA LAW FIRM
LEGAL PRACTITIONERS AND SOLICITORS"
No 17B, James Watt Road, Off Forestry Road, Benin City.
08070700176, [email protected]
Our Ref: ________________________
Your Ref: ________________ Date 16th March, 2021.
THE CHAIRMAN,ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION (EFCC), EFCC CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS, PLOT 301/302, INSTITUTION AND RESEARCH CADESTRAL DISTRICT.
Dear Sir,
RE: UNLAWFUL RESTRICTION OF ACCOUNT NUMBERS- 0040625708 - UNITY BANK (INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNT), 2253917632 - ZENITH BANK (INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNT), 0108447638 - GTBANK (INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNT), 0719593031- ACCESS BANK (INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNT), 0803015856 - ACCESS BANK (AGENCY ACCOUNT), 1390273232 - ACCESS BANK (AGENCY ACCOUNT); BELONGING TO OBENDE ANDREW IRAMOFUO; DEMAND FOR LIFTING OF SAME AND DEMAND FOR 50 MILLION NAIRA DAMAGES ON BEHALF OF OUR CLIENT
We act as Solicitor to Obende Andrew Iramofuo (herein after referred to as “Our Client”), we write this letter on his behalf.
Our Client has briefed us as follows;
Our Client is a young graduate who having not found any job in the harsh economic system of Nigeria took his fate into his hands by setting up a POS Business, in the rustic town of Igarra, the headquarters of Akoko - Edo Local Government Area of Edo State of Nigeria.
That Our Client is a certified POS Agent with Access Bank and First bank with a Certificate to that effect.
That Our Client received a phone call from phone number 08037797603, which when put on Truecaller showed the name NURA BELLO intimating him that he was an EFCC official from Kaduna State who was investigating a case of fraud, and who asked him if he could go to the Benin Zonal Office of the EFCC for an interview for which our client answered in the affirmative and indicated that he should let him know when he will go, for which there was no there communication thereafter.
That surprisingly, without any statement being obtained from our client by your Commission, or any invitation whatsoever to him, your Commission restricted 6 (Six) of Our Client’s accounts (some which accounts are not connected in any way whatsoever to the POS business) without any Court Order, as required by Law, thereby truncating our client’s business which he uses to take care of himself and his poor family and causing him emotional and psychological trauma and loss of business.
That Our Client’s accounts illegally restricted by your Commission are, Account Numbers;
0040625708 - Unity Bank (Individual Account),
2253917632 - Zenith Bank (Individual Account),
0108447638 – Gt bank (Individual Account),
0719593031- Access Bank (Individual Account),
0803015856 - Access Bank (Agency Account),
1390273232 - Access Bank (Agency Account)
That our client did not do anything illegal whatsoever other than to do his legitimate business of dispensing cash to POS users who are a mixed crowd of members of the public and it is a patent illegality for your Commission, to restrict or freeze our client’s account in connivance with some commercial banks, without any Court Order and for which you have all incurred liabilities together with the conniving commercial banks indicated above, upon which we now demand on behalf of our client from your Commission the sum of N50,000,000.00K (Fifty Million Naira) only, for the circle of impurity and illegality perpetuated by your Commission against our client who is just a young man trying to make ends meet.
In the light of this, we demand an immediate re-opening of the bank accounts of our client as it was illegally restricted by your Commission, and the payment of the sum of N50,000,000.00K (Fifty Million Naira) only to our client without any delay. Failure of which we shall proceed against your Commission and the said commercial banks without any delay to claim aggravated damages against you all.
Let wise counsel prevail.
Yours faithfully,
For: Douglas Ogbankwa Law Firm.,
………………………………………….
Douglas Ogbankwa Esq
Solicitor"
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