By John Umeh
The Federal High Court in Abuja has directed six commercial banks and fintech firms to provide the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) with comprehensive details of bank accounts linked to activist and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, covering transactions from January 2024 to the present.
The order was issued on Tuesday by Justice Emeka Nwite, following an ex parte application brought by the IGP’s counsel, Wisdom Madaki.
According to the motion, the police are probing Sowore for alleged involvement in terrorism financing, money laundering, and fraudulent dealings.
Delivering his ruling, Justice Nwite held that the request was justified:
“Having considered the submissions of the applicant and the supporting affidavit evidence, I find the application meritorious and therefore grant it as prayed.”
Banks and Institutions Affected
The affected financial institutions include:
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United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc
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Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) Plc
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Zenith Bank Plc
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Opay Digital Services Ltd
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Moniepoint
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Kuda Microfinance Bank Ltd
The court directed them to release account opening documents, mandate cards, and certified statements of account showing all inflows and outflows during the specified period.
Basis for the Request
In support of the application, a police officer from the Force CID Legal Section, Bassey Ibrahim, filed an affidavit claiming that intelligence reports linked Sowore’s accounts to suspicious transactions, allegedly including foreign-backed financing of terrorism and laundering of illicit funds.
He stressed that obtaining the account records was critical for a proper investigation, warning that without the court’s order, ongoing inquiries could be compromised. Ibrahim added that the move was made in good faith and would not unfairly prejudice Sowore or his media organization.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1757/2025, lists Sowore and Sahara Reporters Media Foundation as the 1st and 2nd defendants, while the six banks and fintech firms were joined as 3rd to 8th defendants.
