Oyo-Ita: Court To Rule On ‘Freezing Order’ Obtained By EFCC

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja will be ruling on a freezing order obtained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against the bank accounts of some of the defendants in the alleged fraud trial of former Head of Service of the Federation, Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita.

THE WHISTLER had reported that Oyo-Ita was arraigned before Justice Taiwo Taiwo’s court on March 23, by the EFCC, on an 18-count charge bordering on fraud to the tune of about N471,633,291.

Other defendants in the case are Ubong Effiok (her special assistant), Garba Umar, Frontline Ace Global Services Limited, Asanaya Projects Ltd, Garba Umar Slopes International Ltd.; Gooddeal Investments Ltd; U & U Global Services Ltd, which is linked to Effiok and Prince Mega Logistics Limited.

But they had all pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Amid the trial, the EFCC, through its counsel, M.S. Abubakar, had applied for a freezing order before another judge, Justice Giwa Ogunbajo.

Abubakar told THE WHISTLER on Wednesday, that the Commission realized that it had to freeze bank accounts linked to some of the defendants ( apart from Oyo-Ita) so as to effectively prosecute the case.

“We applied for a freezing order and the court granted that the accounts should be frozen until this case is finally determined,” he added.

But the affected defendants objected to it before the trial judge, Justice Taiwo.

On Wednesday, Justice Taiwo adjourned to February 11 to rule on whether the EFCC was right or wrong in approaching another judge to obtain the order while the defendants were being tried before him.

“Taiwo will rule whether that one was right,” Abubakar told our correspondent.

The trial will also continue on that date.

The case had been shifted to October 21, December 1, January 13, January 28 and February 3.