EX-NNPC GMD sues EFCC, CBN, GTB over non-release of $9.8m

Former Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Andrew Yakubu, has sued the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Central Bank of Nigeria and Guarantee Trust Bank over alleged refusal to release his $9.8 million after a court judgement.

Yakubu, through his counsel, Ahmed Raji, SAN, filed the suit before Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court, Abuja.

The originating summons, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/231/2023, was dated and filed on March 8, with EFCC, CBN and GTB listed as 1st to 3rd defendants respectively.

Justice Ahmed Mohammed had, on March 31, 2022, discharged and acquitted the ex-NNPC GMD of a money laundering charge.

The justice held that the EFCC failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt but the anti-corruption agency had appealed against the judgement.

Yakubu, in the suit, asked whether “the court did not become dominus litis of the respective sums of $9,773,200 and £74,000 belonging to” him when same was put in issue, and in evidence before the court in charge number: FHC/ABJ/CR/43/2017 between Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Engr Andrew Yakubu, and in respect of which judgement was delivered on the 31st of March, 2022.”

He said, if the question was answered in the affirmative, he would further ask whether the EFCC ought to still have in its custody his seized monies after a sister court gave an injuction in his favour on March 31, 2022.

Yakubu, therefore, asked whether the monies ought not to be released to him forthwith, or paid into an account under the control of the registry of the court, pending the outcome of the appeal lodged by the EFCC against the said judgement.

He sought an order directing the defendants to immediately release the monies to him in view of the court judgement.

Alternatively, he sought an order directing them to immediately transfer the said monies into an account under the control of the FHC chief registrar or into an account to be operated by the chief registrar, the EFCC and him, pending the determination of the appeal.

But the EFCC, in a notice of preliminary objection, prayed the court to dismiss Yakubu’s application.

In the motion dated March 20 and filed on April 12 by Faruk Abdullah, the anti-graft agency argued that the suit constituted an abuse of the court process.

It said that the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

The commission said it also relied on the earlier processes filed before the court where it raised jurisdictional issues and urged the court to strike out the entire suit.

In the affidavit in support of the motion deposed to by Sambo Mayana, a detective with the commission, EFCC averred that most of Yakubu’s depositions did not reflect the correct position of the case.