A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday, ordered the temporary forfeiture of 23 properties linked to a former Chairman of Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina.
The trial judge, Justice Folashade Ogunbanjo, gave the order while ruling on an exparte originating motion brought before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In the motion, the anti-graft agency prayed the court to order the temporary forfeiture of the properties linked to Maina.
It also sought an order of the court directing the publication of the interim order of forfeiture in any national daily newspaper, inviting anyone who has any reason why the properties should not be finally forfeited to the Federal Government to come forward and prove same.
The EFCC supported its motion with a 30-paragraph affidavit, deposed to by one, Mohammed Goji, an investigation officer with the EFCC and the Head of Pension fraud team of the commission and brought pursuant to Section 17 of the Money Laundering Act.
Justice Ogunbanjo, in her ruling on the motion, granted the prayers of the anti-graft agency and ordered the EFCC to return to the court on November 19, 2019, for the mentioning of the case.
The temporarily forfeited properties, linked to the former pension boss are situated in Kaduna, Borno, and Sokoto, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Recalled that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Department of State Services (DSS), two weeks ago, arrested former Maina.
The former pension boss, who was embroiled in N2.1 billion pension scam was arrested through a joint effort by the EFCC and DSS in a hotel in Abuja, the nation’s capital.