Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom Justice Inyang Ekwo , who gave the order following an ex-parte motion brought by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), also directed that the bank accounts of HPPS Multilink Services Ltd be frozen pending the hearing and the determination of the substantive suit.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that while AMCON is the claimant, the company and the state government are 1st and 2nd respondents respectively.
NAN reports that the affected bank accounts for the two respondents are domiciled with Access Bank Plc; Citibank Nigeria Limited; Ecobank Nigeria Plc; Fidelity Bank Plc; First Bank Nigeria Plc; First City Monument Bank Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank Pic.
Others include those in Heritage Bank Plc; Keystone Bank Limited; Polaris Bank Limited; Stanbic IBTC Plc; Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited; Sterling Bank Plc; Suntrust Bank Nigeria Limited; Union Bank of Nigeria Plc; United Bank for Africa Plc; Unity Bank Nigeria Plc; Wema Bank Plc and Zenith Bank Plc.
The ex-parte motion, with suit number: FHC/ABJ/AMC/74/2021 dated and filed on Sept. 30, was moved by Counsel to AMCON, Darlington Ozurumba .
The motion prayed for five reliefs.
The court also made an interim order “ freezing and attaching the JAAC Bank Accounts (Joint Accounts Allocation committee), Internal Generated Revenue Accounts, all bank accounts both current, savings, fixed deposits and/or investments accounts of the 2nd respondent (Benue Government) maintained with all the banks mentioned above pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
“An interim order is hereby made restraining all banks and/or other financial institutions above mentioned in Nigeria forthwith from releasing or dealing in any manner howsoever with monies held in any account to which the respondents are signatories pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
“An order is hereby made directing all banks and/or other financial institutions in Nigeria to, within seven (7) days of the date of service of this order, file and serve an affidavit of compliance disclosing with statement on each account howsoever designated, held and/or maintained by the respondents and ail accounts to which the respondents are signatories for a period of sic months prior to the date of service of this order till date.”
Meanwhile, in the affidavit in support of the motion deposed to by Abubakar Isa , a staff of AMCON, the corporation described the loan as a toxic loan of eligible bank assets transferred to it […]
