Lawyer Calls For An Investigation Into PND Scandal, Accuses Access Bank PLC, Police, And Magistrate Of N20M Fraud.

Legal practitioner Maxwell Opara has petitioned law enforcement agencies concerning an alleged fraudulent debit of N20 million from his client’s corporate account held with Access Bank. According to Opara, police had improperly obtained a questionable ex-parte order from a Magistrates’ Court in Mararaba to place a post no debit order on his client, Godwin Emmanuel account using an incorrect account number. Opara contested the order in high court and it was set aside on November 2nd and the court directed Access Bank to restore access to his account. However, the bank allegedly refused to comply even after being served the new court order. The lawyer says he later learned that N20 million was suddenly moved from his client’s account on November 6th after Access Bank and the police obtained another ex-parte order from a Magistrate in Masaka to authorize the withdrawal. Opara noted that syndicates are believed to be involved in orchestrating these fraudulent activities, affecting multiple individuals and leading to substantial financial losses. Opara claims officials did not disclose his pending suit before the second order. We have discovered that these are syndicates. When we served the bank, they reached out to the police asking them to get another Court Order. “We learned that the Police moved around all the magistrate court in FCT but they were refused, that was when they went to Masaka Magistrate Court and bargained with the Magistrate thereafter the order was issued to them, without disclosing to the magistrate that there’s a substantive suit and the magistrate on his own part failed to tell them to put the other party on notice. “Upon receiving the order, Access bank being a party in the crime complied with the Order from Masaka Magistrate Court and the N20 million was moved from his account to an unknown account the same day which was 6th November. “I have now petitioned the ICPC, IGP, EFCC, CBN, Attorney-General and Chief Judge of Nasarawa State, Chief Registrar and and the Chief Magistrate Nasarawa State, demanding urgent probe into the irregular transactions. “It has happened to these people now. What if this happens to one Okada man in one village, where his N100,000 is fraudulently taken? Who will speak for him? Why these people are able to raise it, it’s because they have the capacity to engage the services of a legal practitioner. “How can Access Bank, whose chairman is a lawyer and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, allow them to use an Order containing a wrong account to defraud an innocent customer. “The victims are urging the public to ask questions and demand transparency in how the judiciary, police, and banks are being used for fraudulent activities.” He called on the media to investigate and requested them to determine the beneficiaries of the fraud.