Court Freezes Oyo State Govt Accounts In 10 Banks 

Court Freezes Oyo State Govt Accounts In 10 Banks

In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, a High Court has issued an order that has frozen the accounts of the Oyo State Government in ten commercial banks across the country.

The order came as a result of a garnishee proceeding initiated by former council leaders in Oyo State who were removed from their positions on May 29, 2019, by Governor Seyi Makinde.

The ex-council leaders had previously obtained a judgment of N4,874,889,425.60 against Governor Makinde and other state officials/agencies in 2021.

This judgment was related to their removal from office.

As per the judgment of the Supreme Court on May 7, 2021, the other officials/agencies held responsible for the judgment debt include the Attorney-General, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Accountant-General of Oyo State, Speaker of the House of Assembly, the House of Assembly, and the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC).

The purpose of the garnishee proceeding initiated by the ex-council leaders, led by Bashorun Majeed Ajuwon, was to retrieve the outstanding balance of N3,424,889,425.60 (N3.5 billion) from the initial judgment sum.

Governor Makinde had only paid N1.5 billion in 2022, leaving an outstanding amount.

The Supreme Court judgment originally required an outstanding payment of N3,374,889,425.60, but the Court of Appeal in Abuja added an additional N50 million as a cost against Governor Makinde and others in a judgment on December 8, when their appeal was dismissed.

The ten commercial banks where the accounts of the Oyo State Government have been frozen include Zenith Bank, United Bank of Africa (UBA), Wema Bank, First Bank of Nigeria, Ecobank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Access Bank, Polaris Bank, Jaiz Bank, and Union Bank.

Justice Ebong delivered the ruling on December 15, but the certified true copy (CTC) of the ruling was released on Monday.

The judge instructed the banks (the garnishees) to submit affidavits and attend court on the next scheduled date to explain why the orders for seizure of assets should not be finalized.

The judge awarded a cost of N300,000 against the judgment debtors, and ordered that a copy of the order be served on them. The judge also adjourned the hearing until January 5, 2024.