Former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan was stranded at the Maitama branch of a commercial bank on Monday when she attempted to make withdrawal from some of her contentious accounts at the bank.

A Federal High Court in Lagos had recently lifted an order it earlier gave in December 2016 to freeze the accounts containing the sum of $5.8 million.

Justice Mojisola Olatoregun also lifted the freeze order placed on the accounts of five companies holding N7.4 billion and the account of Esther Oba holding $429,381.87.

As images of Mrs Patience Jonathan at the bank trended on social media on Monday, many of her supporters rejoiced at her supposed gallantry. It however now appears the excitement was misplaced.

Officials of the bank were said to have informed the former First Lady that she could not access the deposit because the bank had been furnished with a notice of appeal filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in its bid to reverse the decision to unfreeze the accounts.

The anti-graft agency was also said to have secured a stay of execution of the recent judgment pending its appeal, a copy of which had been sent to the bank.

A source in the bank said: “The former First Lady came to our branch to collect cash from her unfrozen account but we could not honour her.

“She came at about 11am and left some minutes after 4pm. She had audience with an Executive Director of our bank.

“Her entry created a scene because she said the cash was her entitlement but we insisted that the account was still in dispute because of a pending appeal.”

The bank official added that the bank was being careful so as not to engage in an act of subjudice.

“We received intelligence report that the ex-First Lady went to Skye Bank Plc to access her account but the bank disallowed her because of a pending appeal.

“We are determined to pursue this matter to a logical conclusion. Our position is that the account should remain frozen in line with our mandate,” The Nation quotes an EFCC source to have said.