Court freezes Mele Kyari’s bank accounts

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the temporary freezing of four Jaiz Bank accounts linked to former Group Managing Director (GMD) of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kolo Kyari, over alleged fraud.

Justice Emeka Nwite gave the order on Tuesday while ruling on an ex parte motion (FHC/ABJ/CS/1641) filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and argued by its lawyer, Ogechi Ujam.

The EFCC had requested a 60-day freeze to conclude its investigation, but Justice Nwite restricted the order to 30 days, with an option of renewal if necessary.

Ujam told the court that the order was needed because the accounts were under investigation for conspiracy, abuse of office, and money laundering. The accounts were identified as:

Jaiz Bank account number 0017922724 (Mele Kyari),

Jaiz Bank account number 0017922724 (Mele Kyari),

Jaiz Bank account number 0018575055 (Guwori Community Development), and

Jaiz Bank account number 0018575141 (Guwori Community Development Foundation Flood Relief).

Justice Nwite, in granting the application, said: “I have listened to counsel to the applicant and gone through the affidavit evidence with the exhibits and written address attached. I find that this application is meritorious and it is hereby granted as prayed.” The matter was adjourned to September 23 for EFCC to report on further developments.

The EFCC stated that its motion was based on three grounds, including evidence that the accounts are tied to an ongoing probe into misappropriation of funds and breach of trust. It alleged that N661,464,601.50, suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities, was traced to Kyari through four accounts used to receive suspicious inflows from NNPC and oil companies.

The commission added that the funds were disguised as payments for a purported book launch and NGO activities, with the accounts managed by Kyari’s family members acting as fronts. EFCC also confirmed it had written to Jaiz Bank for comprehensive account details and placed a temporary no-debit instruction pending the court order.

The investigation follows an April 24 petition filed by the Guardian of Democracy and Rule of Law, accusing Kyari of laundering funds under the guise of facilitating contracts.