Court orders forfeiture of Saraki's Ikoyi property
The Lagos Division of the Federal High Court on Monday has ordered the temporary forfeiture of two properties located in the Ikoyi area of Lagos State and belonging to the immediate past senate president, Bukola Saraki, to the Federal Government.
Mohammed Liman, the judge, who ordered the temporary forfeiture on Monday, also gave 14 days for anyone with an interest in the properties to show cause.
According to a statement by the anti-corruption agency, EFCC, the properties are located at No. 17A McDonald Road, Ikoyi, Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos.
The EFCC said the forfeiture followed an ex parte application filed by its counsel, Nnaemeka Omewa, that the properties were acquired through proceeds of unlawful activities.
The Commission also alleged in a supporting affidavit that Mr Saraki, who served two terms as Kwara State Governor between 2003 and 2011, “withdrew over N12 billion cash from the account of the Kwara State Government and paid same into his accounts domiciled in Access and Zenith Banks through one of his personal assistants, Abdul Adama, at different intervals.”
The EFCC lawyer, Mr Omewa, said the court was empowered to order the temporary forfeiture of the landed asset to the Federal Government.
Delivering ruling on the application, Justice Liman ordered the interim forfeiture of the two properties.
He also instructed that the EFCC should publish the order in a national newspaper.
After ordering the temporary forfeiture of the properties, the judge gave 14 days for anyone with an interest in the properties to show cause why they should not be finally forfeited to the Federal Government.
The EFCC had in May marked the houses traced to the former Senate president for an alleged case of conspiracy, abuse of office, misappropriation of public funds, theft, and money-laundering.
The agency’s probe of Mr Saraki, however, started when it wrote the Kwara State Government demanding a breakdown of Mr Saraki’s income, as well as his entitlements as governor of the state.
The houses had been the subject of Mr Saraki’s arraignment at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), which acquitted him in 2017.
Cloud Tag: What's trending
Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.
Aminat Ahmed United Nigeria Congress Party Kwara Metro Park Abubakar Kawu Baraje Sidikat Alaya Ayegbeni Musa Yeketi Harrison Osauwagboe Salihu Ajibola Ajia Ilorin Metro Park Modibo Kawu JSSCE Medinat Folorunsho Salman Erubu Olokoba Abdullahi Ayinla Elections Abdulsalam Firdaous Amosa SGBN Ohoro Of Shao Kayode Ogunlowo Abdulraufu Mustapha Taiwo Joseph Overland Owode Market Oba Of Jebba Manzuma CCT Otoge Onilu Farouk Salim David Oyerinola Adedunmoye Joshua Adeyemi Adimula Abubakar Suleiman Abubakar Abdulraheem Barakat Community Secondary School Oba Abdulrahim Emir Of Yashikira Elewu Jide Ashonibare Abdulrazaq Solihudeen Sa\'adu Gambari Maryam A. Garuba Gbadeyan Gbadura Yomi Sadiq Umar Akume Ajeigbe Adedeji Onimago Sa\'adu Salahu Olupako Of Share Kwara University Of Education Ilorin.Info Kayode Zubair Zulkifli Ibraheem Ibrahim Mashood Abubakar Bature Sulu-Gambari Lai Mohammed Tunji Ajanaku Lanwa Igbaja Basit Olatunji Omotoso Omotoso Musa Lawal Arinola Kudirat Ijagbo Bahago Jamiu Oyawoye Aliyu Muhammad Saifudeen Patigi Regatta Fulani GGDSS Pakata Kwara Polytechnic Yekini Adio Sunday Popo-Ola Olumide Daniel Ibitoye Coalition Of Kwara North Groups Sarah Alade Maimunat Oniyangi

