Gaia & Montgomery Legal
GM Gaia & MontgomeryFinancial Crime & Risk Counsel Brief counsel
Chambers in session Litigation & AML/CFT regulatory defence Abuja · FCT · BN 2934722
Gaia & Montgomery Legal · Abuja Chambers

Defending Capital. Challenging Unlawful Freezes. Enforcing Due Process.

Gaia & Montgomery Legal (GML) acts for individuals, businesses and institutions when money is frozen, withheld or under investigation. Under the leadership of Adeyemo Dolapo Richard Esq., AiCMC, Member ICA, the firm challenges Post No Debit restrictions, defends clients before EFCC, ICPC and NDLEA, traces cross-border transfers and advises on AML/CFT compliance. Banks answer to our clients, by judgment or by settlement.

₦180M+Recovered for clients
$650K+Recovered for clients
50+Financial crime matters led since 2019
99%Success on debt recovery briefs
Start a matter review Check your account freeze

Client communications are privileged and handled in confidence.

● Study after Vincent van GoghThe Starry Night, 1889

Order inside the turbulence

Every freeze, transfer and investigation has a structure. Our work is to find it and put it before the court.

After Michelangelo · Carrara marble
After Rembrandt · Light on drapery
Chambers standing

Barristers & Solicitors of the Supreme Court of Nigeria

Appearing before the FCT High Court and the Federal High Court in asset recovery, banking regulatory litigation and financial crime proceedings.

The Firm · Jurisprudence & doctrine

Where financial intelligence meets constitutional restraint

Banks often treat an informal request from an agency as if it were a court order. Our work sits on that boundary: the point where investigative zeal crosses into the client's constitutional right to property.

GML handles Post No Debit encumbrances, EFCC and police hold requests, SWIFT MT103 wire anomalies, beneficial ownership questions and restitution claims against Tier 1 banks. Every matter is run as an investigation first: fund flows traced, exposure assessed, the record built, and only then the strategy.

Administrative overreach

Exposing unlawful freezes

Stopping banks from freezing deposits on the strength of unverified administrative letters.

Wire verification

SWIFT & intermediary trace

Releasing cross-border transfers caught in correspondent bank de-risking filters.

“A commercial bank is neither an investigative agency nor a court of law. It has no statutory warrant to freeze customer deposits without a valid, subsisting order of a court of competent jurisdiction.”

Adeyemo Dolapo Richard Esq.Managing Partner, GML
Agencies the firm has engaged on clients' behalf
EFCCICPCNDLEAINTERPOLU.S. Homeland SecurityNFIU
Forums where the firm appears
Federal High CourtFCT High CourtCourt of Appeal authorityCBN Banking SupervisionCBN Consumer Protection
Track record

Capacity, measured in results

What the firm has done since July 2019, across the FCT High Court, the Federal High Court and the Central Bank's supervisory departments. Client identities are never published.

Recovered for clients
₦180M+&$650K+

Funds returned to clients from frozen, restrained and withheld accounts at Tier 1 banks, by judgment and by negotiated resolution.

Matters led
50+
Void orders set aside
Multiple
Debt recovery success
99%
Longest freeze defeated
3+ years
GMEvery result below was achieved by Gaia & Montgomery Legal under the leadership and auspices of Adeyemo Dolapo Richard Esq., AiCMC, Member ICA. None of it is luck. It is the product of forensic investigation, trial advocacy and the persistence to enforce what the court decides.
Federal High Court
₦180,000,000

Recovered after a Tier 1 bank froze a company's account under an agency order that never named it. Judgment, then contempt proceedings until the bank complied.

Capacity: forensic reading of the order
FCT High Court
$98,750

A business's dollar balance recovered from behind a Post No Debit, with full account access restored.

Capacity: banking restriction litigation
FCT High Court
Null & void

A freeze placed on an agency letter alone, and kept for more than three years, declared unconstitutional and ordered lifted.

Capacity: constitutional litigation
Federal High Court
$89,950

A restrained dollar inflow returned to a trader after the firm won judgment and ₦10 million in damages against a bank defended by Senior Advocate's chambers.

Capacity: judgment as leverage
Federal High Court
$163,592

A domiciliary account balance refunded with damages after a restriction that ignored correspondent banking and STR due process.

Capacity: AML/CFT technical knowledge
Agency freezing order
Vacated

An interim freezing order set aside in a matter involving cross-border SWIFT transfers, foreign law enforcement correspondence and FIU reporting.

Capacity: cross-border fund tracing
Judgment enforcement
Form 49

Committal proceedings and regulatory escalation when a bank was slow to obey a court order. Judgments the firm wins are judgments banks obey.

Capacity: enforcement
Jurisdiction challenges
Orders set aside

Multiple Magistrate Court orders set aside for want of jurisdiction. An order from a court without competence is no order at all.

Capacity: jurisdictional precision
Arbitration clause enforced
Struck out

A suit struck out as premature because the claimant bypassed the arbitration clause in the contract. Parties are held to the dispute process they signed.

Capacity: contract enforcement
Debt recovery briefs
99% success

A recovery practice built on demand, preservation notices and fast filings in the court with jurisdiction.

Capacity: recovery practice
Criminal proceedings
Discharges

Favourable outcomes in most criminal and financial matters before EFCC, ICPC, INTERPOL and NDLEA, including discharges, withdrawn allegations and lifted restrictions.

Capacity: defence advocacy
Negotiated outcomes
No custodial term

Structured interviews and plea negotiations that ended with no custodial sentence and no financial penalty, keeping matters from escalating to prosecution.

Capacity: negotiation under pressure
Cross-border
Multi-jurisdiction

Direct correspondence with international enforcement bodies, including U.S. Homeland Security and INTERPOL, to move cross-border cases forward.

Capacity: international liaison
Institutional mandates
Public sector

Annual Business Risk Assessments and AML compliance advice for a public administration and a continental industry association.

Capacity: compliance & risk advisory
Corporate & commercial
Full service

Company formation and structuring, contracts, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and multi-party supply and distribution agreements across borders.

Capacity: transactions
Creative industries
Entertainment

Recording, artist management and entertainment consultancy, alongside intellectual property protection for founders and creative businesses.

Capacity: entertainment & IP
Since July 2019
50+ matters

Complex financial crime and dispute matters led and resolved across account restrictions, fund recovery, regulatory exposure and enforcement engagement.

Capacity: depth of caseload
How the work is done

Seven matters, one standard: lawful authority

Banks need a valid order that names the customer. Courts need jurisdiction. Litigants must follow the process they signed. Each file shows what the firm did and the capacity behind it. Clients are not identified.

RecoveredCompany v. Tier 1 bank & enforcement agency· Federal High Court, Abuja

₦180 million released after a freeze built on someone else's court order

An enforcement agency obtained an ex parte interim order covering about 127 accounts. The bank froze our client's account even though the client's name appeared nowhere on it, and kept it frozen for ten months with no arrest and no invitation. The firm read the order line by line, moved the court on notice, and made the bank produce what it relied on. It could not show a schedule naming the client. The court ordered the account unfrozen forthwith, and when compliance lagged the firm went straight to contempt proceedings and the regulator.

Verification duty

Check the order names you

The Court of Appeal in GTB Plc v. Odeyemi Oluyinka Joshua (2021) LPELR-53173(CA) requires a bank to verify an order before acting on it.

Interim orders

Temporary by design

An unchallenged interim order lasts 14 days and, if renewed, three months at most. This one had run for ten.

Walk through the recovery Check your freeze
Anatomy of a recovery

Ten months frozen. Ten steps to ₦180 million.

How one matter moved from an order that never named the client to funds back in the account. Select a step, or use the arrows.

    01 / 10

    Capacity at work
    How the firm holds banks to account

    By judgment or by settlement, the bank answers.

    Financial institutions have deep pockets, senior counsel and time. What they cannot outlast is a record they cannot dispute. GML builds that record first, puts it before the judge, and lets the bank choose how it ends.

    1. 01

      Build an irrefutable record

      Statements, SWIFT messages, the freezing order and its schedule, the bank's own letters. Every fact sourced, dated and exhibited before the first filing.

    2. 02

      Put it before the judge

      The firm goes to the court that can give the fastest binding relief, from the FCT High Court to the Federal High Court, and lets the bank's own documents make the case.

    3. 03

      Make the outcome bite

      Judgment is enforced through contempt proceedings and the regulator. Faced with that record, banks often prefer the table to the courtroom.

    By judgment
    • ₦180Mrecovered after judgment and contempt proceedings
    • $98,750recovered from behind a Post No Debit at the FCT High Court
    • Null & voida three year freeze set aside as unconstitutional
    • $163,592refunded with damages for a domiciliary restriction
    By settlement

    When the facts are undeniable, a negotiated resolution becomes the bank's best option.

    The firm negotiates from judgments and from records strong enough to win them. Terms stay confidential between the parties. What clients see is the result: their money back, and an institution that has learned the cost of acting without lawful authority.

    Put your bank on notice
    Practice matrix

    Tactical practice & financial intelligence

    Choose who you are to see the work most relevant to you. Open any card to see how the firm starts.

    Mandatory relief

    Account freezes & PND injunctions

    Urgent applications to lift Post No Debit restrictions and hold banks liable for damages, and challenges to orders made without jurisdiction.

    How we start
    1. Demand the legal basis for the restriction in writing
    2. Check whether any order actually names you
    3. File for urgent relief and damages
    Judgment enforcement

    Contempt & compliance with court orders

    When a bank or agency delays obeying a judgment: Form 49 committal proceedings and regulatory escalation.

    How we start
    1. Enrol and serve the order with a certified copy
    2. Issue a notice to show cause
    3. Petition the regulator with the record
    Cross-border capital

    SWIFT MT103 & intermediary tracing

    Forensic work to release high value transfers held at correspondent and clearing banks.

    How we start
    1. Obtain the MT103 and UETR
    2. Map every intermediary bank
    3. Engage the holding bank's compliance team
    Statutory defence

    EFCC, ICPC & NDLEA investigations

    Counsel at interviews, on invitations and in forfeiture hearings, through to plea negotiation where it serves the client.

    How we start
    1. Review the invitation or allegation
    2. Attend every interview with the client
    3. Assess exposure before any statement
    Asset restitution

    Debt recovery & withheld capital

    A recovery practice with a 99% success rate on debt recovery briefs, from demand letter to judgment.

    How we start
    1. Issue a formal demand and preservation notice
    2. File in the court with jurisdiction
    3. Enforce the judgment
    AML / CFT mandate

    Compliance advisory & risk assessments

    Annual Business Risk Assessments, KYC/CDD/EDD frameworks, STR processes and AML training for institutions.

    How we start
    1. Gap review against CBN and NFIU rules
    2. Risk rate products, clients and channels
    3. Deliver the assessment and staff training
    Forensic audit

    Transaction provenance & beneficial ownership

    Evidential audits of ledger trails and ownership structures that prove where money came from.

    How we start
    1. Collect statements, invoices and contracts
    2. Map ownership and control
    3. Produce a report fit for court or regulator
    Corporate & commercial

    Formation, contracts, JVs & M&A

    Company formation and structuring, joint ventures, acquisitions and multi-party supply agreements.

    How we start
    1. Understand the commercial goal
    2. Run due diligence
    3. Draft and negotiate the documents
    Consumer protection

    Payment, banking & service disputes

    Claims against banks, payment providers, airlines and service companies, here and through the UK complaint process.

    How we start
    1. Exhaust the provider's complaint route
    2. Send a letter before action
    3. Escalate to regulator, ombudsman or court
    Crisis management

    Regulatory & reputational crises

    Fast, coordinated response when a business faces raids, freezes, petitions or public allegations.

    How we start
    1. Stabilise: secure accounts and records
    2. Speak to regulators with one voice
    3. Plan the legal and public response
    Creative industries

    Entertainment, artist management & IP

    Recording and artist management agreements, entertainment consultancy and IP protection for founders.

    How we start
    1. Audit contracts and rights
    2. Register and protect the IP
    3. Negotiate deals that protect the artist
    ADR

    Mediation & conciliation

    Chartered mediation for commercial and banking disputes that are better settled than tried.

    How we start
    1. Agree terms of reference
    2. Exchange position papers
    3. Record settlement terms that bind
    Freeze check

    Is your account restriction open to challenge?

    Answer four questions for a first read on your position and what to gather. It takes under a minute.

    Q1 What has happened?
    Q2 Have you seen a court order?
    Q3 Who is behind it?
    Q4 How long has it lasted?
    Briefings · Broadcast & press

    Commentary, keynotes & briefing notes

    The firm's analysis on national television, in the press and in short practical notes.

    Adeyemo Dolapo Richard Esq. on Early Exchange Adeyemo Dolapo Richard Esq.Guest legal analyst · Early Exchange · SOUQ News TV Early Exchange · SOUQ News TV · YouTube

    The law, explained on national breakfast television

    The firm's Managing Partner appears on SOUQ News TV's Early Exchange as a guest legal analyst, taking complex law to a national audience in plain language.

    InterviewPageantry and the law: the Miss South Africa citizenship controversyWatch ↗ Live interviewIntellectual property and the VAPP Act: protecting creators, founders and persons under Nigerian lawWatch ↗
    SOUQ News TV on YouTube ↗
    Commentary · Financial crime

    Financial crime & fraud typologies, explained on air

    Commentary on fraud typologies, regulatory action and enforcement for a national audience, delivered by the firm's Managing Partner as Legal & Financial Crime Analyst.

    Premium TimesBanking freeze coverage
    Peoples GazetteAgency freezing order coverage
    The ReportersCorrespondent banking coverage
    Keynote · After Van Gogh, Wheatfield with CrowsPress: Richard@gmgl.org

    Regulatory certainty for commercial enterprise

    Procedural fairness across executive regulators and state institutions.

    Briefing notes

    Short, practical guidance from the chambers. New notes are added as the law moves.

    BankingYour bank has frozen your account. The first 48 hours.

    Ask in writing. Write to the branch and the bank's legal unit asking for the legal basis of the restriction and a copy of any court order. Keep the acknowledgement.

    Do not sign anything new. Banks sometimes ask for indemnities or fresh KYC forms that concede facts. Take advice first.

    Preserve the record. Download statements, alerts and emails now, before online access is limited.

    Under section 34 of the EFCC Act an account is frozen through an application to court. In a matter the firm won at the FCT High Court, the court held that an agency letter “can never be a valid court order”.

    BankingThe freezing order does not name you

    Agencies sometimes obtain one order covering many accounts. Before acting, a bank should check that its customer is actually named. The Court of Appeal said so in GTB Plc v. Odeyemi Oluyinka Joshua (2021) LPELR-53173(CA).

    Ask the bank for the schedule. If it cannot produce a certified page with your name, say so in writing.

    Watch the dates. An unchallenged interim order lasts 14 days and, if renewed, three months at most. A freeze that has outlived its order is exposed.

    EnforcementYou won, but the bank still will not comply

    Enrol and serve. Get the enrolled order and a certified true copy onto the bank's file, and keep proof of service.

    Notice to show cause. A Form 49 notice requires the defaulting officer to explain why he should not be committed for disobeying the court.

    Tell the regulator. The CBN's supervisory and consumer protection departments take non-compliance with court orders seriously when the record is laid out clearly.

    EnforcementAn EFCC invitation: what it means and what it does not

    An invitation is a request to assist an investigation. It is not a charge and not a finding of guilt.

    Attend with counsel. You may have a lawyer present. Do not write or sign a statement before you understand the allegation.

    Bring documents, not explanations. Contracts, invoices and statements tell your story better than an unprepared interview.

    Cross-borderTracing a held SWIFT transfer: MT103 and UETR

    Ask the sender's bank for the MT103, the payment message, and the UETR, the unique reference that follows the payment through every bank on the route.

    With both, counsel can find where the money stopped, which intermediary is holding it and what compliance question it needs answered.

    Adeyemo Dolapo Richard Esq. in a black double breasted suit, arms folded
    Adeyemo Dolapo Richard, Esq.AiCMC · Member ICA
    The Principal

    Adeyemo Dolapo Richard, Esq.Managing Partner · Financial Crime, Risk & Investigations

    A legal practitioner with over eight years in criminal litigation, financial disputes and high risk investigations. He founded Gaia & Montgomery Legal in 2019 after training in the chambers of Chief Chris Uche SAN, and leads the firm as primary investigator and case owner on its financial crime work.

    Qualifications

    • Barrister at Law (B.L.)Nigerian Law School
    • LL.B (Law)Baze University, Abuja
    • Enrolled, Supreme Court of NigeriaSCN 117810
    • Certificate in Mediation & ADR

    Memberships

    • AiCMCAssociate, Institute of Chartered Mediators & Conciliators
    • Member, ICAInternational Compliance Association
    • Member, ACAMSAssociation of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists
    • Nigerian Bar Association

    Certifications

    • ICA Advanced Certificate in AMLWith Alliance Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester2026 cohort
    • CAMSCertified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist, ACAMSIn progress

    Leadership & public roles

    • FounderAfrican Financial Intelligence Alliance (AFIA)
    • Founding Counsel & Legal SecretaryMartins Vincent Otse Initiative (MVOI), pro bono human rights and anti-trafficking advisory
    • Guest Legal AnalystEarly Exchange, SOUQ News TV
    Career path
    Jul 2019 · presentManaging Partner, Gaia & Montgomery LegalFinancial crime, risk & investigations, Abuja
    Nov 2018 · Jul 2019Legal Associate, Chris Uche SAN & CoCriminal litigation & dispute resolution, including nationally significant trials
    Sep 2016 · Nov 2018Legal Intern, Chris Uche SAN & CoResearch, case preparation & investigations
    In chambers

    The members of the firm

    The four names on every Gaia & Montgomery letterhead.

    ARAdeyemo Dolapo Richard Esq.Managing Partner

    Leads the financial crime, risk and investigations practice. Counsel of record in the firm's banking freeze matters.

    OAOmole Emmanuel Agboworin Esq.Partner

    First Class graduate of the Nigerian Law School, in practice since 2012. Former State Counsel, Department of Public Prosecutions, Federal Ministry of Justice.

    OWOkunega Okhani William Esq.Partner

    Partner in the Abuja chambers.

    AKAchu Kosisochukwu Esq.Associate

    Associate in the Abuja chambers.

    Chambers registry

    Retain counsel

    Matters go straight to the Managing Partner. A first evaluation is carried out in confidence before any retainer is signed.

    Seat of chambers

    Abuja Chambers

    Gaia & Montgomery Legal
    E-Road, Citec Estate, Mbora
    Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria

    JurisdictionFCT, Nigeria
    Business No.BN 2934722
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