Patience Jonathan: Senate summons seven Bank MDs

The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions on Monday summoned the Managing Directors of seven banks over the freezing of the accounts of former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.
The Senate is inviting seven banks Managing Directors at a time when the case is also being considered in the House of Representatives by the same committee.
Those banks summoned by the Senate panel are Zenith Bank, First Bank, Ecobank, Fidelity Bank, Stanbic-IBTC, Diamond Bank and Skye Banks.
The committee, headed by Senator Sam Anyanwu, issued the summons at the hearing of a petition by the former First Lady.
According to the petition submitted for consideration on behalf of Jonathan by Granville Abibo (SAN), the former first lady complained that both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have at different times “unleashed terror, dehumanizing, degrading and despicable treatment” on herself and her blood relations without justification.
The accounts in question in which the former first lady’s funds are trapped include that of companies Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited, Seagate Property Development Investment Company and Transocean Property and Investment Limited.
Also, the account of her NON-Governmental Organisation, The Women for Change Development Initiative, and A. Aruera Foundation as well as Finchley Top Homes Limited and the former Fist Lady’s salary account were frozen, the Senators were told.
“The accounts of her siblings, Innocent Nyegerefaka, Mohammed Oba and Esther Oba have all been frozen by EFCC without an court order, all because they are blood relations of Dame Patience Jonathan,” the petition further reads.
Anyanwu, who issued the summons, insisted that the Managing Directors must appear in person as no representative would be accepted.
But the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, was absent from the hearing.
In a letter sent to the committee, the agency said Magu was out of the country and would be returning on Tuesday (today).
The committee therefore set Wednesday for Magu’s appearance.
This was even as Patience Jonathan’s counsel informed the committee that they have resolved their differences with the NDLEA and hence would like to strike its name off the petition before the Senate.
But the counsel to Patience Jonathan, Charles Ogboli, while speaking before the committee said the former first lady’s accounts and that of her relatives were frozen without any court order by the EFCC, adding that this culminated in the death of Lazarus Eware, a brother to Mrs. Jonathan.
Ogboli said: “The immediate elder brother to Patience Jonathan, Mr. Lazarus Eware, died as a result of unfortunate maltreatment of him by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as he could no longer cope in the face of this repeated humiliation terror attack and financial handicap.
“He could no longer meet up with the responsibilities of his family, including children’s school fees and medical bills.
“As we speak, his lifeless is still lying in a mortuary yet to be buried.
“The only offence said to have been committed by him is that he is the elder brother to Dame Patience Jonathan.”