Tobias Sylvester
A Federal High court in Lagos, on Monday, ordered the forfeiture of two houses belonging to a former senate president, Bukola Saraki, in Ilorin, Kwara state capital, following an application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
This is coming five days after Saraki raised an alarm that the EFCC was “targetting his properties”, ignoring a court order restricting it from doing so.
In an affidavit filed in support of an ex parte application, Olamide Sadiq, an operative of the EFCC, said the move for the forfeiture of the houses followed the findings of the EFCC after investigation.
EFCC said its investigations revealed that fraud was perpetrated in the treasury of the Kwara State Government between 2003 and 2011 when Saraki was the governor of the state.
“Whilst the investigation was ongoing several fraudulent transactions were discovered. I know for a fact and verily believe that our investigation has revealed the following mind-boggling findings, among others:
“That between 2003 and 2011, Dr Olubukola Abubakar Saraki was the Executive Governor of Kwara State. That whilst he held the aforementioned position, the common pattern was that after payment of monthly allocation by the Federal Government to the Kwara State Government, a cumulative sum of not less than N100m will be deposited into the Kwara Government House account.
“That upon the payment of the said N100m, same will, in turn, be withdrawn in cash by one Mr Afeez Yusuf from the Kwara State Government House, Ilorin’s account in bits and brought to the Government House.”
The EFCC said it believed that Saraki acquired the two properties with proceeds of unlawful activities.
Ruling on the exparte application filed by EFCC Lawyer, Rotimi Oyedipo on Monday, Justice Ridwan Aikawa ordered the temporary forfeiture of Saraki’s two properties designated as Plots No. 10 and No. 11 Abdulkadir Road, GRA, Ilorin, Kwara State.
Justice Aikawa also directed the EFCC to publish the temporary forfeiture order in a national newspaper and adjourned till December 17 for anyone interested in the properties to appear before him to show cause why the properties should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
