Court Freezes Accounts Linked To Yari, Ex-Zamfara Governor
A Federal High Court in Abuja has assented to a request forwarded by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related offences Commission (ICPC) to freeze bank accounts believed to be owned by the immediate past Governor of Zamfara State, Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari.
The accounts opened with Zenith and Polaris banks and funded with both United States dollars and Nigerian Naira were ordered by Justice Taiwo, in a ruling on Friday, in an ex-parte motion by the ICPC to be frozen pending when the affected person shows cause why the freezing order should be vacated.
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The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related offences Commission via its lawyer, Mr. Osuobeni Akponimisingha, filed the application following an intelligence report suggesting that Abubakar Yari and some two companies are involved in some unlawful activity against the interest of the Zamfara State Government and by extension the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The complainant alleged that Yari and two two companies linked to him received several funds belonging to the Zamfara State Government through their accounts with some commercial banks.
As of the time of filing the applications, the commission stated that the funds in the various accounts remained only N24,289,910 and $669,248.
The ruling justice ruled that the ICPC published the order in a national daily within 14 days and for the parties concerned to appear in court on September 11 to show cause why the funds would not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
Bank accounts related to two firms linked to Yari, former Executive Governor of Zamfara State were also forfeited on an interim basis. The companies include B.T. Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited and Kayatawa Nigeria Limited.
