THE Lagos Division of the Federal High Court has ordered the freezing of all bank accounts of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) until the determination of a substantive suit between ASCSN, its National President, Comrade Innocent Bola-Audu, and National Treasurer, Mrs Rahab A. Maigari, as 2nd and 3rd claimants, and the Inspector General of Police and 9 others, including Union Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc and Guarantee Trust Bank, as defendants.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTE6eqI9BfA[/embedyt]
The court also ordered the Inspector General of Police, Assistant Inspector General of Police, Force Criminal Investigation Dept (FCID), Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos, Assistant Inspector General of Police (Special Protection Unit, Abuja), Lagos State Police Commissioner, the FCT Police Commissioner (being the 1st-5th respondents) to guarantee the takeover of ASCSN’s national secretariat by Comrade Innocent Bola-Audu as National President of ASCSN.
The order, granted by Honourable Justice D. E. Osiagor of the Federal High Court, Lagos at its sitting on September 13, 2022, followed an expert motion filed in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/1674/2022 by the claimants on September 6, 2022 praying for the following orders:
“An interim order mandating and directing the 1-5th respondents jointly and severally by themselves, agent, servants and/or subordinate officers to unseal and open up the 1st Applicant’s secretariat at 2 Dapo Bode Thomas Street, via Montgomery Road, off Thortbum Street, Sabo, Yaba, Lagos and to hand over access to and possession of the said premises to the 2nd and 3rd applicants in their position as the duly elected and serving National President and Treasurer of the said 1st Applicant respectively and to provide security watch or surveillance on and around the said secretariat and for the protection of the 2nd and 3rd Applicants and members of the said association in the course of the performance of their official duties and thereby making for the effective operations and running of the affairs of the said association without molestation from anyone howsoever pending the determination of this suit.
“Interim orders of injunction in the following manner: –
“Restraining the 6th Respondent (Union Bank of Nigeria) from allowing the suspects, Messrs Alade Bashir Lawal & Tommy Etim Okon who are no longer member and staff of the Association or any other person(s) except the 2nd and 3rd applicants or any other person or persons authorized by them in writing from operating the 1st Applicant’s Account Nos 0021598486; 0024628694; 0028604717; 0030983400; 0018717010; 0013173963; and 0021062859 with the said bank pending the determination of the suit.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M68EWUu2gTk[/embedyt]
“Restraining the 7th Respondent (Zenith Bank Nigeria PLC) from allowing the suspects, Messrs Alade Bashir Lawal & Tommy Etim Okon who are no longer member and staff of the association or any other person(s) except the 2nd and 3rd Applicants or any other person or persons authorised by them in writing from operating 1st applicant account Nos. 1013757633 and 1013812413 with the said bank pending the determination of this suit.
“Restraining the 8th respondent (First Bank of Nigeria Plc) from allowing the from allowing the suspects, (Messrs Alade Bashir Lawal & Tommy Etim Okon) who are no longer member and staff of the association or any other person(s) except the 2nd and 3rd Applicants or any other person or persons authorized by them in writing from operating 1st applicant account No. 3004408904 with the said bank pending the determination of this suit.
“Restraining the 9th Respondent (GTBCO (formerly of GTBank Plc) from allowing the suspects, (Messrs Alade Bashir Lawal & Tommy Etim Okon) who are no longer member and staff of the association or any other person(s) except the 2nd and 3rd Applicants or any other person or persons authorized by them in writing from operating 1st applicant account No. 0015712775 and 0145643554 with the said bank pending the determination of this suit.”
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSuiaj4R0D8[/embedyt]
Justice Osiagor granted all the orders and adjourned the matter to Monday, October 24, 2022 for hearing.
The court orders were executed Friday, October 21, 2022 by judiciary officers in the company of armed police men. Videos of the implementation of the orders were made available to National Record showing the forcible re-opening of the union’s national secretariat offices by court officials and the police in the company of some union members led by Comrade Bola-Audu, entering triumphantly into the secretariat premises singing solidarity and victory songs following the execution of the court order.
The union has been enmeshed in internal crisis with its leadership of the national secretariat under perpetual probe of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Offences Commission (ICPC).
Some top officials of the union had been arrested and detained among whom were the former Secretary General, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, former Vice President, Comrade Tommy Etim Okon, the Chief Accountant of ASCSN, Comrade Akorede Fatai, the Deputy Secretary General, Comrade Josua Apebo, and the Chief Typist, Comrade Funmilayo Victoria Salami, among others.
