Saraki Forfeits More Properties To FG

Hamilton Nwosa
Writer

Ad

Why Wike Should Resign or Be Sacked: A Call to Organized Civil Society in Nigeria to Uphold Anti-corruption Standards with Consistency, By Frank Tietie

By Frank Tietie The revelations by Nigerian social crusader, investigative journalist, and activist Omoyele Sowore regarding the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyiesome Wike, are serious and warrant the attention of all Nigerians who care about the integrity of the country. Sowore has alleged that Wike laundered funds and concealed the purchase of…

Dangote Refinery Slams PENGASSAN, Describes Order as ‘Economic Sabotage’

By Abiola Olawale In an escalating labor showdown, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has fired back at the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), criticising the latter’s order on Saturday. This is as the refinery owned by Africa’s richest person, Alhaji Aliko Dangote described PENGASSAN's order to cut crude oil and gas…

Intimate Affairs: ā€˜I don’t want a mother-in-law,’ By Funke Egbemode

By Funke Egbemode Tola doesn’t wish anybody dead. She just doesn’t want to go through what her mother went through in the hands of her grandmother. She had been told that she might just be lucky and end up with a husband with a kind mother. But she’s scared, I believe, irredeemably, by the trauma…

Ad

A federal high court in Lagos has ordered the forfeiture of two houses of Bukola Saraki, former senate president, in Ilorin, Kwara state capital.

Rilwan Aikawa, a judge, gave the order based on an application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The houses are located at plotsĀ  10 and 11 Abdulkadir Road, GRA, Ilorin.

The development comes five days after the former number three citizenĀ raised the alarmĀ that the anti-graft agency was ā€œtargetting his propertiesā€, ignoring a court order restricting it from doing so.

Read more: Saraki Raises Alarm As EFCC Moves To Seize More Houses

Saraki, a two-term governor of Kwara, is being investigated by the anti-graft agency, which alleged that while serving as governor of Kwara between 2003 and 2011, he withdrew over N12 billion cash from the account of the Kwara government and paid same into his accounts domiciled in Access and Zenith Banks through one of his personal assistant, Abdul Adama.

The EFCC told the court it uncovered monumental fraud in the treasury of Kwara when Saraki governed the state.

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.

He said: ā€œWhilst 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:

ā€œThat 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.

ā€œThat 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.ā€

The EFCC said it believed that Saraki acquired the two properties with proceeds of unlawful activities.

Ad

Unlocking Opportunities in the Gulf of Guinea during UNGA80
X whatsapp