Access Bank and seven other banks are under investigation by the Department of State Security (DSS) over an alleged N1.4 billion fraud involving the accounts of seven businessmen and four companies.
The Federal High Court in Lagos has imposed a “Post No Debit” (PND) order on these accounts, effectively freezing them pending the outcome of the investigation into the alleged fraudulent transfer from a Lebanese firm.
Justice Akintayo Aluko granted the order on August 20, 2024, following a motion ex-parte presented by DSS counsel Michael Bajela. The order, which prevents any withdrawals, transfers, or debits from the affected accounts, will remain in effect for 90 days.
The case was initiated by Fouani Nigeria Limited, the complainant in the suit. The respondents whose accounts are affected include:
Haruna Adam Abubakar – Access Bank (1709985717)
Anthony Godwill Ifeanyi – Access Bank (1236732473)
Tochukwu Modestus Obodoefuna – Access Bank (1565420706)
M. Munzali Dara Worldwide Business – Fidelity Bank (5601060742)
Anthony Ifeanyi Electronic Trading – Keystone Bank (5420158002)
Kholobekian Joseph Mesrob – UBA (1016886802)
Izuchukwu Stanley Alaman Jo – UBA (2137303667)
A.S. Rano Lubricant Toll Inv. Ltd – Providus Bank (1305567771)
Obioma Emeka Daniel – FCMB (1005922923)
Esto World Mega Venture Resources – Globus Bank (2004467010)
Mubarak Buhari – Opay (8066868814)
The court has scheduled further proceedings for November 22, 2024, to assess compliance with the PND order.
In support of the application, DSS operative Joshua Babalola provided an affidavit, stating that the DSS received a petition from the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS) titled “Request for investigation into unauthorized fund transfers on Fouani Nigeria Limited Account.”
The petition, dated August 1, 2024, and signed by Richard Bello, Chief Audit Executive, and Olusola Odediran, Chief Information Security Officer, alleges that N1,426,100,430.00 was fraudulently transferred by the respondents from various accounts belonging to Fouani Nigeria Limited, held at Access Bank, GTBank, Zenith Bank, and UBA.
The petitioners have requested that the DSS investigate the matter and prevent the respondents from accessing the funds in their respective accounts.
