Fraud: Court orders final forfeiture of NOK Varsity, other properties owned by ex-civil servant

A Federal High Court successful Abuja has ordered the last forfeiture of each assets belonging to NOK University, Gwasmyen Water Factory, Gwasmyen Event Center, and Gwasmyen International Hotel successful Kaduna State.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik gave the last forfeiture bid connected Friday, June 7, 2024, aft listening to arguments successful a suit filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), done its counsel Ekele Iheanacho.

The anti-graft bureau had prayed the tribunal to bid the last forfeiture of immoderate properties, belonging to Anthony Hassan, a erstwhile Director of Finance and Accounts (DFA) successful the Federal Ministry of Health, nether Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and Section 44(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The EFCC established that Hassan utilized proceeds from unlawful activities to physique NOK University. The forfeited assemblage assets see the Senate building, ICT building, Faculty of Medicine building, Science Deanery building, 2 world buildings, a module hall, and different structures.

Additionally, the forfeited properties see Gwasmyen Water Factory, Gwasmyen Event Center, and Gwasmyen International Hotel successful Kaduna State.

The EFCC’s investigative officer, Adaora Asabe Oragudosi, conducted investigations into allegations of transgression conspiracy, stealing, maltreatment of office, and wealth laundering against immoderate Federal Ministry of Health staff, which led to the tracing of the forfeited properties to the defendant.

In her judgment, Justice Abdulmalik stated, “The Apex tribunal has held that immoderate idiosyncratic who lives supra his means owes the nine immoderate explanations. The load lies connected the accused to warrant properties acquired which are disproportionate to his known morganatic earnings. It is successful instrumentality that forfeitures are hinged connected the preponderance of evidence.”

She further noted, “The responsive has failed woefully successful tilting the standard of grounds successful his favour. It is simply a rule of instrumentality that oral grounds cannot contradict oregon supersede documentary grounds due to the fact that documentary grounds speaks for itself.”

The tribunal had initially granted an interim forfeiture of the assets connected June 1, 2022.