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Nigeria's central bank freezes accounts of police brutality protesters

Published 07/11/2020, 12:40
Updated 07/11/2020, 12:42

ABUJA, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Nigeria's central bank froze the
accounts of 20 people linked with anti-police brutality protests
after receiving a court order, the regulator said.
Many of those affected were prominent during Nigerian
protests last month known as #EndSARS, one of the West African
country's biggest social upheavals in 20 years, which attracted
global attention as thousands of people campaigned for an end to
police brutality.
The demonstrations came to a head on Oct. 20 when security
forces opened fire and killed at least 12 protesters in Lagos,
according to witnesses and Amnesty International. The army and
police have denied the killings. A federal high court judge ordered the bank accounts to be
frozen "for a period of 90 days pending the outcome of
investigation and inquiry currently being conducted by the
Central Bank of Nigeria," the central bank said in a statement
late on Friday.
It did not say why the account holders were being
investigated, but added that the 90-day order may be renewed.
A central bank spokesman told Reuters the judge had granted
the order without any of those affected or their legal
representatives present.
Among those whose accounts were frozen is Rachael Oduala
Bolatito, who is representing protesters on a judicial panel
investigating the Oct. 20 shootings.
The panel had been due to convene in Lagos on Saturday but
was adjourned to Nov. 14 after she and another representative
for the demonstrators boycotted the meeting due to the central
bank's action, according to Adesina Ogunlana, the lawyer for the
protesters.
Nigerian immigration officials have also blocked another
activist, whose name was not on the list of accounts frozen,
from leaving the country and confiscated her passport, Ogunlana
told Reuters.

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