It is with rude shock and personal sense of consternation that my attention has just been drawn to online publications with numerous calls from Nigerians, that my account containing N75 million domiciled with GTBank has been temporarily frozen, allegedly based on an ex-parte order obtained by the EFCC from the Honourable Justice Abdulazeez Anka of the Federal High Court, Lagos.
It is alleged that the said sum of N75 million is ‘’suspected’’ to be the proceeds of crime or that it is from money laundering. This is an invidious lie from the pit of hell.
For the records, the N75 million was paid into my account by my client, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, as part payment of Professional Fees for the numerous cases my chambers is currently handling for him (in his personal capacity) and his aides across Nigeria. The money is neither ‘’suspected proceeds of crime’’ nor of money laundering.
On the 13th day of December, 2016, I defeated the EFCC in a judgment delivered by the Honourable Justice Taiwo O Taiwo, sitting at the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti. In his judgment dated 13th December, 2016, the court ordered the EFCC to immediately defreeze two accounts belonging to Governor Fayose and domiciled with Zenith Bank Plc, which accounts EFCC had, illegally , unconstitutionally, an in a most uncouth and cavalier manner frozen and blocked in Zenith Bank Plc. The court described the action of the EFCC as ‘’illegal, wrongful, unconstitutional and unlawful’’.
Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, the same lawyer who was said to have obtained the ex-parte order blocking my account from Honourable Justice Abdulazeez Anka, is the very counsel for the EFCC in the case I won for Governor Fayose before the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti.
After the accounts were defrozen by the judgment of the court, I urged Governor Fayose to make part payment of N100 million for the numerous cases I am handling for him and his aides across Nigeria, but which he did not have funds to pay for. He then transferred, with the cooperation of Zenith Bank Plc, which was actually the 2nd Defendant in the suit, the sum of N75 million as part payment of my Professional Fees. I have since utilized the funds for the payment of salaries, school fees of my children schooling in Nigeria and abroad, with spirally inflation, and for my Mike Ozekhome Foundation (MOF) activities.
On the 19th of January, 2017, Honourable Justice Taiwo O Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti, took argument on a motion for injunction pending appeal restraining Governor Fayose from withdrawing the remaining balance in his said accounts. This same motion was argued by the same Rotimi Oyedepo.
The court on the 31st of January, 2017, dismissed EFCC’s motion. He has now appealed to the Court of Appeal, Ado Ekiti, with a similar motion. The present action of EFCC is clearly calculated to overreach Governor Fayose in the appeal and also to embarrass and intimidate me from defending Governor Fayose. This will never happen. I will continue to defend beleaguered and oppressed Nigerians from the antics and high handedness of publicly funded government institutions that breach their fundamental rights.
It is sickening and inconceivable that money legitimately and legally paid by a client to his Solicitor from an unencumbered account wholly and totally defrozen and unblocked by the judgment of a competent court of law can be termed “suspected proceeds of crime or money laundering’’. I am a practising lawyer, not a government employee, contractor or a business man. I have NEVER laundered and will NEVER launder any money in my life.
It is so shameful and disgusting when we make ourselves a laughing stock before international circles through brazen unconstitutional acts by publicly funded government institutions, just to silent all critical voices of reason and plurality of ideas. I shall take immediate legal steps to defreeze the account, in the event that the EFCC does not immediately voluntarily vacate the said order.
Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN. OFR, Constitutional lawyer and Human Rights Activist.

#75m in to your account being part payment for several cases your chamber handled on his behalf.

Oga ozekhone, isn't that an immature and questionable way of doing business? Why didn't he pay it directly into the chambers' account?

Just only one client dey pay 75m and this man has more than 30 prominent clients ooo

Grundig:
#75m in to your account being part payment for several cases your chamber handled on his behalf.

Oga ozekhone, isn't that an immature and questionable way of doing business? Why didn't he pay it directly into the chambers' account?

What sort of question is this? Are you stupid or just plain dumb? Is Mike ozekhome not the owner of the chamber? Is it a limited liability coy?

The EFCC were defeated in a case and they went after the professional fees of the lawyer who defeated them!!! Shame on that useless Magu abi na magi!!! May he never be confirmed by the Senate.

SalamRushdie:
Just only one client dey pay 75m and this man has more than 30 prominent clients ooo

My dear this lawyers are Rich. They went to university to get their degrees and deserves their fees.Buhari has succeeded in messing up every institution of government be it INEC, DSS, EFCC and even the NPF!!!

Shame on that London vegetable Buhari

75million..for just one client.....
Who send me go read medicine self

hybridtm:
75million..for just one client.....
Who send me go read medicine self

Not all lawyers. Mainly for SANs.Most charge and Bail lawyers charge 10k

When a herdsman is in power, illegality becomes legal. Shame on the zombified Nigerians!

cktheluckyman:

Not all lawyers. Mainly for SANs.Most charge and Bail lawyers charge 10k

how long will u keep on supporting corruption?

isnt that pay outrageous? tell me how many legitimate money earners in Nigeria can afford such pay just for a case?


dianyi kwusi imebi aha ndi igbo

themomentng:
On the 13th day of December, 2016, I defeated the EFCC in a judgment delivered by the Honourable Justice Taiwo O Taiwo, sitting at the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti. In his judgment dated 13th December, 2016, the court ordered the EFCC to immediately defreeze two accounts belonging to Governor Fayose and domiciled with Zenith Bank Plc, which accounts EFCC had, illegally, unconstitutionally, and in a most uncouth and cavalier manner frozen and blocked in Zenith Bank Plc.The court described the action of the EFCC as ‘’illegal, wrongful, unconstitutional and unlawful’’.

The present action of EFCC is clearly calculated to overreach Governor Fayose in the appeal and also to embarrass and intimidate me from defending Governor Fayose. This will never happen. I will continue to defend beleaguered and oppressed Nigerians from the antics and high handedness of publicly funded government institutions that breach their fundamental rights.

It is so shameful and disgusting when we make ourselves a laughing stock before international circles through brazen unconstitutional acts by publicly funded government institutions, just to silent all critical voices of reason and plurality of ideas

Since they can't intimidate Fayose Now they feel the best thing is to bully those defending him or those associated with him

This government is a pure definition of evil, but power is transient and one day the table wld turn around and I pity people that allows themselves to be used by this government to settle Political differences.

ezugegere:
When a herdsman is in power, illegality becomes legal. Shame on the zombified Nigerians!

Yes, the 75 million was paid from proceeds of Fayose's cattle ranch , or was it from that famous poultry farm wey no dey stink. The one he established in his first stint as governor?

greatiyk4u:



how long will u keep on supporting corruption?

isnt that pay outrageous? tell me how many legitimate money earners in Nigeria can afford such pay just for a case?


dianyi kwusi imebi aha ndi igbo

Sorry, couldn't resist not quoting you! But seriously how is this corruption? Well I don't think it's! We shouldn't see everything as corruption or corrupt practices. He's a professional(SAN) in his field, he was consulted to help do a job which he did on an agreed fee and even won (maybe that's why he's being attacked). Fayose wasn't forced at gun point to ask for his services and pay for such an amount. Fayose had a choice of going for others who probably wld have collected far less than Mike, his choice it was.

We were all here too when Buhari hired Legal practitioners to help defend his certificate issue instead of producing it. So wld you call them corrupt too?