Senior personnel of 18 Nigerian banks have been languishing in detention in the holding facility of the Department of State Services for almost two weeks over allegations of terrorist financing and money laundering alleged by government functionaries to have been perpetrated by Aminu Suleiman Lamido, son of Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido. Aminu and his brother, Mustapha Lamido were arrested by Economic and financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over an alleged N10 billion fraud. They were arrested in Kano and flown to Abuja and have since been under interrogation at the Commission’s headquarters. The banks whose staff have been picked up are Fidelity Bank Plc, First City Monument Bank Plc, FCMB, Wema Bank Plc, Access Bank Plc, Skye Bank Plc, First Bank Nigeria Limited, FBN, Sterling Bank Plc, Diamond Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, Unity Bank Plc, Ecobank Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, GTBank, and Citibank. The DSS, it was learnt, which has been on the trail of Aminu Lamido, had sought an ex parte motion from the Federal High Court, Abuja, to freeze the accounts, in 13 banks, of Adold Engineering Company Limited, believed to be owned by the governor’s son. The ex parte motion was granted by Justice A.F.A Ademola on November 6, 2013. The fear of the banks, it was gathered, was that the DSS had no capacity to analyse information sent daily to CBN and EFCC related to money laundering. They argue that banks on daily basis send report on suspected money laundry activities to the CBN and the EFCC. stated that: “An order is hereby made freezing the accounts of the underlisted corporate body and financial institutions in the banks (1st 14th respondents) indicated against their names for their suspected involvement with acts of terrorists= financing and money laundering. “An order is hereby made compelling the 2nd to 14th respondents (the banks) in this case to deliver up and furnish the State Security Service/applicant in this case with the respective bank statements and mandate cards of the 1st (Adold Engineering) and 2nd respondents (Fidelity Bank) in this case.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Nov 2013 12:55:40 +0000
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