BREAKING: Court Orders CBN to unfreeze 20 #EndSARS protesters bank accounts

 

A federal high court in Abuja has asked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to unfreeze the bank accounts of 20 #EndSARS protesters.

 

Ahmed Mohammed, the judge, gave the order on Wednesday after counsel to the CBN and the legal representative of the protesters agreed to end the case.

 

“All processes filed deemed to have been withdrawn in the spirit of reconciliation, the suit is hereby struck out,” the judge said.

 

“The order of November 4, 2020, freezing the accounts of the respondents is hereby set aside.”

 

“An order is made de-freezing the accounts of the respondents immediately.”

 

The CBN froze the bank accounts in the heat of the #EndSARS campaign.

 

The apex bank had secured a court order to effect the freeze which elapsed last Tuesday.

 

Access Bank, in which eight of the accounts are domiciled, had issued a public apology after citizens started a social media trend calling on customers to close their accounts with the bank for “colluding with the government” to oppress #EndSARS protesters.

 

Addressing the issue in December 2020, John Tsoho, chief judge of the federal high court, said the freeze order was not targeted at individuals but corporate organisations allegedly involved in money laundering.

 

The chief judge said if that step was not taken, the Nigerian economy could have collapsed at that point in time.