N4.1bn property fraud: EFCC recovers, hands over 324 houses to Kano pensioners

THE Abuja zonal command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over documents of properties, including 324 houses, recovered to Kano State pensioners.

The handing over of the houses, occasioned by a final forfeiture order granted by Justice I.E. Ekwo of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, was a result of successful investigations carried out by the commission over a N4.1 billion Pension Trust Fund contributed by the pensioners to own houses, which was fraudulently denied them by two successive administrations in the state.

It will be recalled that the commission investigated a petition by concerned Kano State workers and pensioners on alleged misappropriation of pension funds in the state.

As a result of that, the findings by the EFCC showed that the state government entered into a tripartite agreement with the Kano State Pension Trust Fund to build housing estates for an aggregate sum of N41 billion, out of which the Pension Trust Fund was to contribute N4.1 billion.

Then, the contribution of the pensioners was used to build the houses in three estates located in Sheikh Ja’afar Mahmud Adam Bandirawo city, Sheikh Nasiru Kabara (Amana) city and Sheikh Khalifa Ishaq Rabiu city, all in Kano State.

However, two former governors of the state allegedly discounted and sold the houses to their cronies and associates, leaving the pension trustees with low budget and uncompleted houses.

Disturbed by the alleged fraud, a petition was sent to the anti-graft agency to step in and upon completion of investigation, it filed for and acquired a final forfeiture order of the 324 properties for the Kano State Pension Fund Trustees.

While handing over the documents of the 324 properties to the pensioners on Monday, the Abuja zonal commander of EFCC, Adeniyi Adebayo, assured that the agency would continue to do its best to rid the nation of fraudulent practices.

Representatives of the Kano State Pension Board, Alhaji Hassan Muhammed Aminu, Kubra Ahmad Bichi and Salisu Yakubu Abubakar, who received the documents on behalf of the workers and pensioners, appreciated the EFCC for assisting them in recovering their houses.

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