Mr Tope Akinyode, lawyer to Anthony Okolie, the man arrested and unlawfully detained for 10 weeks by the Department of State Services for using a SIM card previously used and abandoned by President Muhammadu Buhari’s daughter, Hanan, has written the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), for approval of an order to garnishee the account of the DSS with the Central Bank of Nigeria or any other bank.
Garnishee is a legal process, which empowers a third party (usually banks) to pay or settle debt using the money in its possession being held on behalf of a debtor.
Okolie had won a case at the Federal High Court, Asaba, Delta State, when a judge awarded N10m in his favour for being unlawfully detained by the DSS on the orders of Hanan.
In the letter, Akinyode said that the AGF was empowered by law to give consent, which he said forms a precondition to obtain an order of court to garnishee the account of the DSS with the Central Bank of Nigeria or any other bank.
The letter reads in part, “We hereby write to formally request you to exercise the power vested on you by virtue of Section 84 of the Sheriff and Civil Processes Act and give your consent to us to garnishee the account of the SSS with the Central Bank of Nigeria and any other bank where we can find its money in satisfaction of the judgment debt.”
The lawyer said he hopes to receive the consent of the AGF within a week after, which he will proceed to obtain a court order against the CBN.
