The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered the temporary freezing of four Jaiz Bank accounts linked to Mr. Mele Kyari, immediate past Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), over allegations of fraud and money laundering.
Justice Emeka Nwite granted the order following an ex-parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The agency’s counsel, Ogechi Ujam, told the court that investigations were ongoing and urged the judge to freeze the accounts to preserve the funds.
After reviewing the evidence and exhibits, Justice Nwite ruled that the application was meritorious and adjourned the matter until September 23 for further report.
The EFCC, in its motion (marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1641/2024), listed the affected accounts as:
Jaiz Bank Account No. 0017922724 (Mele Kyari)
Jaiz Bank Account No. 0018575055 (Guwori Community Development Foundation)
Jaiz Bank Account No. 0018575141 (Guwori Community Development Foundation Flood Relief)
According to an affidavit deposed by EFCC investigator, Amin Abdullahi, preliminary findings revealed that about ₦661.4 million, suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities, was traced to the accounts.
The EFCC alleged that Kyari, through family members acting as fronts, used the accounts to receive suspicious inflows from NNPCL and oil companies, disguising the transactions as payments for a book launch and non-governmental organisation activities.
The commission maintained that freezing the accounts was necessary to prevent dissipation of funds pending conclusion of its investigation into alleged conspiracy, abuse of office, and money laundering.
