Access Bank Dragged To Court, See Why

Access Bank Plc has been dragged to court for unlawful blocking an account used to promote media coverage of protests against police brutality that recently rocked Nigeria.

OnyxNews Nigeria reports that a public affair firm, Gatefield Nigeria Ltd., filed a case against Access Bank in a federal court in Abuja, the nation’s capital, on Oct. 28, accusing the lender of “unilaterally restricting” its account and demanding damages of 100 million naira ($262,000), according to court documents.

The account was used to raise funds to support independent Nigerian journalists that covered nationwide demonstrations that lasted almost more than two weeks, according to the company.

“As more people contributed to our efforts, we noticed that we could no longer conduct transactions on the dedicated account we used for this particular activity,” Adewunmi Emoruwa, the lead strategist for Abuja-based Gatefield, said Tuesday by phone.

The lawsuit will test whether blocking Gatefield’s account without a court order was unlawful. There were other allegations by individuals and organizations on social media that their accounts were restricted during the protests for apparently similar reasons.

“A successful challenge at the court could make the difference for others who were likewise targeted,” Emoruwa said.

Gatefield was told by Access Bank that it was directed by the Central Bank of Nigeria to put restrictions on the account, implemented on Oct. 15, Emoruwa said.

A spokesperson for Access Bank said the lender doesn’t comment on its customers to third parties. A spokesman for the central bank didn’t respond to emails and calls seeking comment.

More than 50 people, including policeman and soldiers, died as the initially peaceful protests against the excesses of the police’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), degenerated into days of rioting and looting across most of the country of more than 200 million people. Security forces killed at least 10 people when they opened fire on peaceful protesters gathered in Lekki, Lagos on October 2020, according to human rights group, Amnesty International which the Nigerian army denied but admitted of being at the protest.

Thousands took to the streets from Oct. 5 in response to a video that circulated on social media reportedly showing SARS officers molesting a civilian.

Human Rights Watch, the New York-headquartered rights group has said in an email by Anietie Ewang, its Nigeria reseacher that: “documented several cases of organizations and individuals whose bank accounts were frozen after receiving or disbursing funds to support the #EndSARS protests.”