A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to focus on its primary responsibility of regulating the banking sector and not get involved in politics.
He made the call while reacting to the court’s decision to unfreeze the bank accounts of 20 #EndSARS promoters.
In the aftermath of the #EndSARS protest, the CBN secured an injunction from the court to freeze the accounts of certain individuals and a public affairs company linked to the #EndSARS protests, a move which Mr. Falana describes as a case of intimidation.
READ ALSO: Lawan Refers Service Chiefs Confirmation To Senate Committee
The human rights lawyer who was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily argued that the apex bank went out of its way.
“I do hope that sufficient lessons have been learnt particularly by the Central Bank to desist from jumping into the political arena by attempting to freeze the accounts of people who are involved in the struggle one way or the other against the government,” he stated.
Falana further argued that the CBN misled the court into believing that some grave offenses had been committed, which would require time to run an investigation.
He however noted that no offense was committed and no attempt was made by the Central Bank to investigate any individual.
The lawyer urged the CBN to be more circumspect in the future, adding that the individuals whose accounts were frozen will be going to court to challenge the “gross violation” of their rights to their property.
