Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered banks to freeze the accounts of 32 individuals and companies allegedly connected to the August 1 #EndBadGovernance protest.

This protest, led by Nigerian youths under the banner of ’10 days of rage,’ was aimed at highlighting the growing economic hardship and inflation in the country.

The court’s ruling came after an ex-parte motion was presented by Ibrahim Mohammed, counsel for the Inspector-General of Police (IGP). Presiding Judge Emeka Nwite directed banks to freeze the accounts and apprehend the account holders or any persons conducting transactions on these accounts, which are allegedly linked to the protest activities.

In his ruling, Nwite stated, “The banks are hereby directed by this honourable court to issue details of the account package(s) and to place a Post-No-Debit (PND) on the accounts, disable the ATM while allowing inflow into the said accounts as from the date of this court order.”

The ruling, which was issued on August 20, became public when the Certified True Copy (CTC) was released on Sunday in Abuja. The accounts under scrutiny include those of PA.LIN.HO Global Service Ltd, Obidient Movement Multipurpose Cooperative Society, and several individuals and entities involved in the protest.

According to the motion, the accounts are under investigation for allegedly being used to facilitate criminal activities, including terrorism financing, treasonable felony, and cybercrimes. Mohammed argued that these accounts were used to promote offenses such as criminal conspiracy and to fund actions aimed at undermining the sovereignty of the Nigerian state.

The affidavit supporting the motion, signed by Gregory Woji, a detective with the Force Criminal Investigation Department, alleged that the protest was part of a broader plot to destabilise Nigeria. Woji claimed that some of the suspects arrested were being recruited by financiers to incite violence and recruit vulnerable individuals to participate in acts aimed at overthrowing the government.

He further stated that foreign nationals were involved in the “treasonable felony and promoting terrorism financing in Nigeria,” adding that the freezing of the accounts and the arrest of the suspects are necessary steps pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation and potential prosecution.