A FEDERAL High Court, Abuja, has ordered the State Security Service (SSS) to freeze 20 bank accounts linked to a suspected female terrorist, Aisha Abdulkarim.
The judge, Peter Lifu, gave the order following an ex-parte application brought and argued before him by the SSS.
The court ordered the freezing of the accounts domiciled in eight different banks for 60 days, to facilitate forensic investigations by the secret service.
In the application marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1036/2024, the SSS lawyer, Yunus Ishaku Umar, sought an ex-parte order to freeze the bank accounts to aid investigations.
Two suspects, Yehusa Idris and Abdullahi Babayo Umar, were also arrested and taken into custody in connection with alleged terrorist activities in which the female suspect is undergoing investigations.
In his ruling, the judge approved a 60-day freezing order, directing the security agency to conduct a swift and diligent probe.
Lifu emphasised that the suspects were presumed innocent and should not face undue hardship.
Insecurity created by terrorist activities has affected Nigeria’s growth and development and created fear among citizens.
The ICIR reported in May that the director-general of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Segun Ajayi-Kadir, said about 56-60 per cent of its registered manufacturers in the North-East have ceased production due to escalating insecurity in the region.
Ajayi-Kadir emphasised that continued insecurity could further cripple the region’s economy and lead to significant job losses.
In an interview with Channels Television, published on Saturday, May 18, Ajayi Kadir emphasised the urgent need for improved security measures to restore confidence and enable the resumption of manufacturing activities, urging the government to come up with policies that will help improve the performance of the manufacturing sector.
“Insecurity is a major challenge, I can tell you that we lost between 56 to 60 per cent of our members in the North-East to insecurity, they just stopped production. You now look at the cost that you need to incur to be secure, this was something that many years ago was non-existent,” he said.
He also noted that despite some of the manufacturers paying more for security, persistent threats of violence and instability have severely disrupted operations, forcing many businesses to shut down.
“
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance