By Idris Salisu
An Abuja Federal High Court has ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to unfreeze the bank accounts of 20 #EndSARS protesters.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed gave the order on Wednesday after counsel to the CBN and the legal representative of the protesters agreed to end the case.
The CBN froze the bank accounts in the heat of the #EndSARS campaign. in November, 2020.
It had secured a court order to effect the freeze which elapsed last Tuesday, while Immigration officers seized passports of targeted protesters.
A Federal High Court judge ordered the bank accounts to be frozen “for a period of 90 days pending the outcome of investigation and inquiry currently being conducted by the Central Bank of Nigeria.”
The order was granted without any of those affected or their legal representatives present.
Many of those affected were heads of protests which occurred simultaneously in most states of the federation. It attracted global attention as thousands of people campaigned for an end to police brutality.
The demonstrations came to a head on October 2020 when security forces opened fire and killed at least 12 protesters in Lagos, according to witnesses and Amnesty International. The army and police have denied the killings.