A Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta, has granted an exparte order restraining the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami from the continued freezing of the bank accounts belonging to Moses Ilesanmi, a former Bursar of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.

Ilesanmi had approached the Federal High Court over the continued freezing of his bank account and withholding of his international passport by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, having been discharged and acquitted of crimes bordering on alleged stealing, abuse of office and fraudulent conversion of FUNAAB property.

The trio of former Pro-Chancellor, Adeseye Ogunlewe; former Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olusola Oyewole; and Ex-Bursar of FUNAAB, Moses Ilesanmi had earlier been arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on 18 counts, including stealing, abuse of office and fraudulent conversion of the university property.

Justice Olatokunbo Majekodunmi of the Ogun State High Court sitting in Abeokuta had quashed the charges against Ogunlewe, Olusola and Ilesanmi in May 2018.

Majekodunmi after discharging and acquitting the accused, ordered the EFCC and Federal Government to release all the property of the defendants in their custody, including international passport and unfreezing of their bank accounts.

But the office of the Attorney General of the Federation disobeyed the ruling by no unfreezing Ilesanmi’s bank accounts and by withholding his International passport which was seized by the Nigeria Immigration Service.

Ilesanmi approached the Federal High Court through an application tagged “Notice of Consequence of Disobedience to Order of Court”, urging the court to compel the Attorney General to release his international passport and unfreeze his bank account.

Ilasanmi through his counsel, Adedamola Dire-Arimoro, complained that failure to obey the Court order would amount to the Attorney General of the Federation being guilty of contempt of court.

Justice Ibrahim Watila of the Federal High Court, while granting an exparte order, restrained Malami from withholding the International Passport belonging to Ilesanmi.

The order of interim injunctions granted also empowered Ilesanmi and his counsel to allow for the substituted service of the order to any staff member of the Attorney General’s Office or paste it at the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja in the absence of Attorney General of the Federation to personally receive the order.

The exparte order reads, “That the Respondent be and is hereby directed to remove and/or delete the name of the Applicant listed as Number 104 in the First Schedule of the Presidential Executive Order No 6 of 2018.

“That the Respondent is mandated and directed to vacate, unfreeze and/or remove the Post-No-Debt Order placed on the Applicant’s bank account with the following particulars: Account Name – Moses Olusola Ilesanmi; Account Number – 0050906139 and Domiciled Bank – Guaranty Trust Bank.

“That the Applicant is hereby granted unconditional and unrestricted access to his said bank account, the usage and operation of same.

“That an order directing the release of the Applicant’s International Passport Number AO 563137 seized on the 2nd day of January 201o at the Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos pursuant to Presidential Executive Order No 6. 2018 is hereby granted.

“That there shall be the cost of Fifty Thousand Naira (N50,000) in favour of the Applicant.”