A youth member in the Lagos’ Judicial Panel of Inquiry investigating cases of police brutality and the Lekki Toll Gate shootings, Rinu Oduala, has condemned the government’s action of freezing her Bank account alongside 19 other prominent #EndSARS protesters.
Oduala, 22, whose account was frozen by the Central Bank, lamented that all her protest-related activities did not warrant for the freezing of her account.
“We spoke up – not because we wanted to overthrow the government but because we wanted the police to stop killing us. We did not carry arms, or incite any insurrection.
“Our only weapon was peaceful protest enshrined in Section 40 of our 1999 Constitution. At every point we maintained calm and educated our followers – reiterating throughout the protests that we were not there to fight the government but to ask for change and to follow through to make sure that change was effected.
“Nigeria is all I have, and I have a right to demand that it works for all of us, not just those with influence, wealth, or a government position.
“In a country that people have been voiceless for a long time, people holding the government accountable is being seen as too much? How can we ensure that this sort of thing will encourage people to build a new Nigeria? A Nigeria that will be filled with accountable government officials, where all forms of oppressions and injustice is a thing of the past.
“How do you expect me as a part of the future of this country to still believe in a country who thinks they have the right through CBN to freeze my account for no just cause. This is not fair. But we will make it fair. Otherwise, there is no future for my generation and the generations to come.”
The court order that allowed for the accounts to be frozen was granted in the absence of the affected individuals, by Justice Ahmed Mohammed, after the CBN filed an ‘ex-parte’ request on October 20.
The court order was addressed to the head offices of six banks: Access Bank, Fidelity Bank, First Bank Nigeria, Guaranty Trust Bank, United Bank of Africa, and Zenith Bank.
The court directed the banks to freeze forthwith all transactions on the 20 accounts on the list annexed to the CBN’s application as Exhibit A and all other bank accounts of the defendants and respondents for a period of 180 days pending the outcome of investigation and inquiry currently being conducted by the CBN.
The 20 individuals including one company were accused of being promoters of the #EndSARS protest during which thousands of youth marched across Nigeria to demand police reform and an end to police brutality.
The protests turned violent after it was hijacked by hoodlums following a government crackdown.
