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By Correspondent in Abuja.
Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has transferred the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s case against the immediate past Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr. Mele Kyari, to the registry for reassignment.
Our correspondent reports that Justice Nwite had, on August 19, fixed September 23 for a report of compliance following an earlier order permitting the EFCC to temporarily freeze four Jaiz Bank accounts linked to Kyari.
At the last sitting, EFCC’s lawyer, Ogechi Ujam, informed the court—then presided over by Justice Nwite as a vacation judge—that investigations were still ongoing and more time was needed to conclude findings. The request was granted, and the matter was adjourned for report.
However, when the case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1641/2025, appeared as item 10 on Tuesday’s cause list, it was not heard, and no legal representation was recorded. Justice Nwite, who delivered two judgments and two rulings in other matters, subsequently transferred the file to the registry.
The case file, titled “In the Matter of an Application by the Executive Chairman of EFCC”, is now awaiting reassignment. The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, may either return the matter to Justice Nwite or assign it to another judge.
The Federal High Court’s annual vacation, which began on July 28, ended on September 16.
The EFCC, in its ex-parte motion filed on August 11, had prayed the court to freeze the bank accounts linked to Kyari pending the conclusion of its investigation into alleged offences of conspiracy, abuse of office, and money laundering.
The affected accounts, domiciled in Jaiz Bank, include:
Account No: 0017922724, in the name of Mele Kyari
Account No: 0018575055, in the name of Guwori Community Development Foundation
Account No: 0018575141, in the name of Guwori Community Development Foundation (Flood Relief), among others.
According to the EFCC, preliminary investigations revealed that the accounts were allegedly used to warehouse N661,464,601.50 suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities. The funds, it said, were linked to suspicious inflows from the NNPCL and various oil companies, disguised as payments for a book launch and NGO activities.
An EFCC investigator, Amin Abdullahi, in a sworn affidavit, stated that the transactions were allegedly controlled by Kyari through his family members acting as fronts. He explained that the commission had already placed a temporary “no debit order” on the accounts and sought the court’s order to preserve the funds while investigation continues.
The matter will now await fresh judicial assignment for further hearing.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
