A Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja has ordered the interim forfeiture of assets and properties traced to a former chairman of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Ngozi Olejeme.
The trial Judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu granted the application of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and ruled that, “an order is hereby made attaching/forfeiting in the interim, all assets and properties set out in the schedule attached to this application, to the Federal Government of Nigeria, pending the hearing and determination of the trial in Charge No. CR/365/17 pending before the court”.
The order was made, sequel to an Ex-parte Originating Summons, filed by the anti-graft agency through its counsel, Elizabeth Alabi, on December 12, 2018, praying the court for the following orders:
“An order of interim attachment/forfeiture of the asset attachment of the properties set out in the schedule attached herein”.
“An order stopping any disposal, conveyance, mortgage, lease, sale or alienation or otherwise of the properties/assets described in the schedule attached herein”.
The schedule of properties referred to in the Summons include: parcels of lands, duplexes, a bank building, and hotel buildings, amongst others.
Some of them are: one storey semi-detached residential building, located at house/flat 86, 11 Crescent, Kado estate, Abuja; a fenced plot of land with C of O No. DTSR16326, located at plots 104 and 105, Block IV, Phase V, Core Area, Asaba, Delta state; Six units of one bedroom apartment; one unit of five bedroom bungalow; a block of six units of office space, all located at 196, Melford Okilo road, Amarata-Epie, Yenegoa, Bayelsa state.
Others include one duplex and 4 house residential building with swimming pool, gatehouse, fully furnished with state of the art facilities, located at No. 25 Kainji Crescent, off Maitama, Abuja. This same property is also known as plot No. 738 Cadastral zone AO5, Maitama, Abuja; A storey building; two bungalows; printing press with printing equipment; a fenced empty land measuring 1422.765 square meters, located at km.9 Asaba-Benin Express road, Asaba, Delta state.
Another property is a twin duplex office building, located at Plot R/151 (No. 30A) Kingsway Road, Old GRA, Enugu State, registered at Enugu Land Registry.
The Commission, through the application, also sought for the interim forfeiture of two Duplexes with Boys Quarters, Generator House, Gym and Car Park, located at No. 3D Opolo, Old Commissioner’s Quarters, Yenegoa, Bayelsa State; Ten plots of land, located at plot 7, 8, 11, 12, 16, 20, 23, and 24 Phase IV, Block 111, Core Area, Asaba, Delta state, with C of O No. DSTR1194; A two bedroom bungalow, located at No. 3 Ogwa Godspower avenue, Oshimili South LGA, Asaba, Delta State; A two bedroom bungalow, located at No. 11 Chiweta Street, off Ezenie Avenue, Asaba, Delta State, measuring 527.141 square meters; A two bedroom bungalow, located at James Odittah Street, Oshimili LGA, Asaba, Delta State, amongst many others.