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CBN gov, Emefiele under fire for freezing #EndSARS promoters’ accounts

Pascal Oparada

Nigeria’s Central Bank governor, Godwin Emefiele is under fire for allowing the court to freeze the account of 20 promoters of #EndSARS.

The CBN said on Friday that it has obtained a court order to freeze accounts of those who were at the forefront of the #EndSARS protest in Nigeria.

Nigerians took to social media to slam the apex bank’s chief for trying to suppress freedom of speech in Nigeria.

Investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo said the freezing of a journalist account in Access Bank is a ‘disguised attack on freedom of speech’.

“The freezing of @Gatefieldco’s Journalism Fund account by @myaccessbank & Godwin Emefiele’s @cenbank is a disguised attack on press freedom.

“Because they funded journalists to cover police brutality stories? Did Gatefield start supporting public-interest journalism y/day?

“Godwin Emefiele’s CBN first extrajudicially froze the accounts of @Gatefieldco and co in mid-October before running to the court weeks later to obtain the order that was announced yesterday. Medicine after death.

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They couldn’t even think straight before striking,” Soyombo tweeted on Saturday.

Former minister, Oby Ezekwesili said Emefiele is sinking very low for allowing himself to be used to block accounts of genuine protesters.

“Wow. How lower is @cenbank ‘s Emefiele sinking? How did the governor get our country’s monetary authority mired in this?
The Central Bank of Nigeria went to secure a court order to freeze bank accounts of young #EndSARS protesters in a Democracy? Wow.
No way this will end well.”

She called on President Muhammadu Buhari to reconsider the move as there are young people on the various panels set up state governments in the country.

According to Ezekwesili, it was because the protesters refused to listen to Emefiele when he called for a stakeholder meeting to end the protest that prompted him to agree to freezing of the accounts.

“So because Godwin Emefiele did not succeed in persuading the young #EndSARS protesters to call off their protest at that inglorious meeting he called some of them to with the private sector, he’s now using our public institution, @cenbank to punish them? Better be wise, Godwin,” she said.

Today, Lagos panel of inquiry suspended hearing on #EndSARS when one of the protesters on the panel, Bolatito Oduala, whose account was frozen withdrew.

The panel adjourned till November 14.

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