An Uyo Federal High Court sitting in Akwa Ibom has frozen some bank accounts belonging to the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Corporation, NDDC, Nsima Ekere, for defaulting in paying a N27m credit facility he borrowed from the defunct Oceanic Bank, now Ecobank Plc.
Ekere, a former Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State was accused of defaulting on a credit facility to the tune of N27m that the defunct Oceanic Bank, now Ecobank Plc, had granted him.
Efforts by the bank to recover the debt failed as the NDDC MD allegedly refused to offset his obligations to the bank.
Unable to recover the debt, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, the receiver company had dragged Ekere before the Federal High Court to recover the money.
Justice Ijeoma L. Ojukwu in a ruling marked FHC/UY/CS/36/2017 ordered that all accounts linked to Ekere be frozen.
The judge also granted an interim possession of some property belonging to the NDDC Managing Director.
Justice Ojukwu’s ruling reads, ”an order of the Court granting interim possession of Plot 1. 52 Lagos Street (Ewet Housing Estate, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State belonging to the Defendant to the Plaintiff/Applicant; an Order of the Honourable Court directing the State Commissioner of Police to provide Mobile Police Security where the property is situate to assist in the enforcement of the order of the Honourable Court”.
The ruling went on to state, “that an order is granted freezing all monies and/ or whatsoever assets due to the Defendant from all bank accounts maintained by the Defendant with all commercial banks in Nigeria to wit: ACCESS BANK NIGERIA PLC, CITI BANK PLC, DIAMOND BANK PLC, ECO BANK PLC, FIDELITY BANK PLC, FIRST CITY MONUMENTAL BANK, FIRST BANK OF NIGERIA, GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC, HERITAGE BANK PLC, JAIZ BANK, KEYSTONE BANK PLC, SKYE BANK PLC, STANBIC IBTC BANK PLC, STERLING BANK PLC, STANDARD CHARTERED BANK PLC, UNION BANK PLC, UNITY BANK OF NIGERIA, UNITED BANK OF NIGERIA, WEMA BANK PLC, ZENITH BANK PLC, situate up to the Plaintiff/Applicant’s claim of the sum of N27,022,720.93 (Twenty Seven Million, Twenty-Two thousand, Seven hundred and Twenty Naira, Ninety Three Kobo) only being a debt owed by the Defendant as at 20th February 2017in respect to the credit facility granted to the Defendant/Respondent by the defunct Oceanic Bank International Plc. (now Eco Bank Plc.).
“The Defendant his agents, privies or any other person natural or artificial however so called under the control of the defendant is restrained from transferring or otherwise dealing with any monies standing to the credit of the Defendant with any of the aforementioned banks wherever situate up to the amount of the Plaintiff/Applicant’s claim of the sum of N27,022,720,93 (Twenty Seven Million, Twenty two thousand, Seven hundred and Twenty Naira, Ninety three Kobo) only being debt owed by the Defendant as at 20th February, 2017 in respect of the credit facility granted the Defendant by the defunct Oceanic Bank International Plc. (now Eco Bank Plc).”