Ondo State Governor, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, on Wednesday advised some supporters of the recent #EndSARS protest whose bank accounts were frozen by the Federal Government through the Central Bank (CBN) of Nigeria to challenge the matter in court if they feel their accounts were unlawfully frozen or they were unjustly accused.
Akeredolu, who is the Chairman of the South-West Governors Forum, said the CBN acted in line with the provisions of the law to freeze the accounts, but the owners of the account should approach the court to challenge the decision by proving that the accusations slammed against them by the CBN to warrant the freezing of their accounts, are misguided and fallacious.
Speaking on Channels TV Breakfast Show, Sunrise Daily, the governor urged the account owners to table their bank transactions before the court and explain the motives of their transactions to disclaim the allegations of the CBN that they were promoting terrorism.
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“Speaking very honestly, I don’t see anything wrong in it. If for instance, my account was frozen, what would I do? All I would do is go back to court to explain. The #EndSARS protesters should do that.
“Even politicians, their accounts are sometimes frozen. You have to go to court and explain. And at the end of the day, the court will say, ‘Leave the account. The account should be de-frozen’ and you take your money back.
“If your account is frozen, you justify why the money was there. You come to explain to what use you have put this money.
“If it is that ‘okay, we used this money to pay this caterer to give food to these boys when they were there. We spent money between before the hoodlums took over,’ it will be explained, people will know and the accounts will be de-frozen.”
Akeredolu equally downplayed insinuations that the protesters are being charged for a treasonable offence.
“It is just that we (CBN) suspected this account then the owner of the account will explain,” he said, stressing that it “is not a conclusion that those accounts were used for acts of treason.”
Some of the #EndSars protesters whose accounts were frozen include Bolatito Rachael Oduala, Chima David Ibebunjoh, Mary Doose Kpengwa, Saadat Temitope Bibi, Bassey Victor Israel, Wisdom Busaosowo Obi, Nicholas Ikhalea Osazele, Ebere Idibie, Akintomide Lanre Yusuf, Uhuo Ezenwanyi Promise, Mosopefoluwa Odeseye, among others.
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