TheCable

A federal high court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has adjourned hearing in the suit regarding a N20 billion bailout loan linked to an account belonging to the Kogi state government.

On August 31, 2021, Tijani Ringim, a Lagos high court judge, had frozen the Kogi state account domiciled in Sterling Bank Plc, following an ex parte application brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), pending the conclusion of the investigation or possible prosecution.

The commission, in a 13-paragraph affidavit in support of the motion, said it received credible and direct intelligence which led to the tracing of funds suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities deposited in account No. 0073572696 domiciled in Sterling Bank Plc, with the name ‘Kogi State Salary Bailout Account’.

At the resumed hearing of the matter on Tuesday, Sam Erogbo, counsel to the Kogi state government, told Chukwujekwu Aneke, the judge who the case was re-assigned to, that his client has filed processes against the freeze order granted by the former judge.

Erogbo said the EFCC had equally filed a reply to the same, adding that he needed time to respond to EFCC’s counterclaim.

He also asked the court for a date to hear his applications.

Rotimi Oyedepo, counsel to the EFCC, admitted being served with the processes, and that he had also filed his counter-claim.

The judge adjourned the matter till October 15, 2021, for hearing of all the applications.