The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the temporary freezing of four Jaiz Bank accounts allegedly linked to Mr. Mele Kyari, the former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), following accusations of fraud, conspiracy, abuse of office, and money laundering.
Justice Emeka Nwite issued the ruling on Tuesday, granting an ex parte motion filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The motion, moved by EFCC counsel Ogechi Ujam, sought to freeze the accounts pending the conclusion of the agency’s investigation. Justice Nwite described the application as “meritorious” and adjourned the case to September 23 for a progress report.
The EFCC’s investigation stems from a petition dated April 24, 2025, filed by the Guardian of Democracy and Rule of Law group against Kyari. According to an affidavit by EFCC investigator Amin Abdullahi, preliminary findings revealed that two of the accounts are held in Kyari’s name, while the other two are registered under the Guwori Community Development Foundation Flood Relief, a non-governmental organization. The accounts, identified as Jaiz Bank account numbers 0017922724 (two accounts in Kyari’s name) and 0018575055 and 0018575141 (under the NGO), are allegedly controlled by Kyari through family members acting as fronts.
The EFCC claims the accounts, which hold N661,464,601.50 in suspected proceeds of unlawful activities, received suspicious inflows from NNPCL and oil companies with ties to the corporation. The agency alleges these transactions were disguised as payments for a book launch and NGO activities. The EFCC has requested detailed account records from Jaiz Bank and issued a 72-hour “no debit” instruction on the accounts, pending the court’s order to preserve the funds during the investigation and potential prosecution.
The EFCC emphasized that freezing the accounts is critical to the investigation and in the interest of justice. Further developments are expected as the probe continues.
