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Tag: Abuja property

Govt to expose owners of illegally-acquired Abuja property

The Federal Government has promised to release names of 200 persons who own illegally-acquired property in Abuja.

The Chairman, Special Presidential Investigative Panel for the Recovery of Property, Okoi Obono-Obla, spoke yesterday at the “Tackling corruption through improving transparency in property ownership” project organised by ANEEJ in Abuja.

Obla, who is also the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Prosecution, launched ANEEJ’s new online platform ‘Properti Tracka’ which will help track illegal properties. He described the platform as one of the single most important contributions towards the fight against corruption.

He said: “Anybody who has taken what doesn’t belong to him should return it back to Nigeria or else face being tracked down. Properti Tracka will expose those who have taken what belongs to Nigerians.

“We will start by making available to the public, the 200 names of those who own massive properties in Maitama, Abuja, most of whom are highly placed people in the country, some in the government, some in the past governments.

“If they cannot explain where they got the money to build such massive properties, they should quietly return it back to the state.”

Executive Director of ANEEJ David Ugolor said: “The Properti Tracka is a citizen tool to identify these owners of illegally-acquired properties and push for clean property in Nigeria. It will also strengthen citizens’ knowledge about using technology to demand for transparency and accountability in the property market in Nigeria.

“The source of building the property must be from a genuine source. We will be working with the Federal Government agencies, the tax office and law enforcement agencies as well.”

July 13, 2018
Court orders interim forfeiture of Patience Jonathan’s Abuja property

AN Abuja Federal High Court has ordered the interim forfeiture of two buildings owned by former First Lady, Patience Jonathan.

Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, in a ruling yesterday, said the interim order granted based on an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), shall last for 45 days.

The judge added that this is subject to renewal upon application by the EFCC.

The buildings are identified as: Plot No: 1960 Cadastral Zone A05, Maitama District and 1758 Cadastral Zone A00 Business District.

They presently serve as the headquarters of two groups – A. Aruera Reachout Foundation/Women for Change and Development Initiative – linked with the ex-first lady.

The judge also restrained the owners of the property from selling or mortgaging them while the forfeiture order lasts.

Justice Dimgba said the orders were necessary to enable the EFCC conduct its investigation on the property.

The judge said the applicant should, at the end of its investigation, file charges where the allegations against the respondents are established.

He said: “I hereby accordingly grant reliefs 1 and 2 sought. Relief 3 is refused, because it is not supported by the grounds of the application and thus unnecessary in the circumstances of the application.”

The two reliefs granted are:

*an order of interim attachment / forfeiture of the asset and property set out in the schedule attached herein. (Plot No. 1960 Cadastral Zone A05, Maitama District, Abuja; and Plot No. 1350, Cadastral Zone A00, Abuja); and

*an order stopping any disposal, conveyance, mortgage, lease, sale or alienation or otherwise of the property/asset described in the schedule herein.

The third relief refused by the court related to EFCC’s request for permission to appoint either a firm or individuals to manage the property.

The judge added: “The order of court granting the reliefs shall last only for a period of 45 days within which the applicant must conclude their investigation and file necessary criminal charges where investigation reveals the commission of a crime.

“The applicant is at liberty to apply for a renewal of the order on cause, provided that such an application to be valid is made before the expiry of the 45 days validity period granted by the court.

“Given the highly contentious nature of this application, I further order that where the applicant wishes to physically access the attached properties in execution of the order herein made, the applicant with the representatives of the respondent, shall take an inventory of all the contents and fixtures of the properties and shall file a report/result of such inventory to this court.”

The judge dismissed the respondent’s objection to the suit.

In dismissing the objection, the judge rejected the respondent’s argument that the suit was not properly commenced and that it was an abuse of court process.

Lawyer to the respondent, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), while reacting to the court’s decision, said by the judgment, his client has lost nothing.

“We did not lose, we won. What the EFCC wanted was for the property in dispute attached and forfeited to the government but the court refused and instead gave them 45 days to further investigate and prosecute, if they so wish with liberty to apply for renewal.

“That is actually victory for us as the property was not forfeited,” Ozekhome said.

May 1, 2018
Supreme Court rules on Abuja property case Friday

The Supreme Court will on Friday June 23, rule on whether a date error on a search report issued by the Abuja Geographical Information System (AGIS) constitutes fresh evidence in a property suit.

Former Ambassador to South Africa, Alhaji Shehu Malami and businessman Sir Emeka Offor are the appellants; a businessman, Imokhuede Ohikhuare, is first respondent in the suit.

They are squabbling over Plot 1809 Asokoro, Abuja, containing a two-wing duplex built by Ohikhuare, which Malami and Offor took possession of four years ago following an Abuja High Court judgment.

However, in a unanimous decision delivered on May 28, 2015, the Court of Appeal, Abuja restored the ownership of the property to Ohikhuare. Malami and Offor appealed to the Supreme Court.

At the last hearing, counsel to Malami and Offor, Joe Agi (SAN), claimed that the report constituted fresh evidence.

When the court asked Agi if he did not spot the typographical error during hearings at the High Court and the Court of Appeal, Agi explained that he did not represent Malami and Offor at the lower courts.

However, in a unanimous decision delivered on May 28, 2015, the Court of Appeal, Abuja restored the ownership of the property to Mr. Ohikhuare, a verdict which is now on appeal at the Supreme Court. The Appeal Court had ruled that the Abuja High Court judgment was legally deficient because Malami “no longer had the power to initiate proceedings at the lower court for himself because it is settled that an Irrevocable Power of Attorney given for valuable consideration robs the donor of power to exercise any of the powers conferred on the donee.”

Since Malami had divested his interest in the land, the Appeal Court reasoned, he cannot institute any legal case on it, as the Supreme Court had ruled in the precedent case of Edebiri vs Omotayo, which the current Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Hon. Justice Walter Samuel Onnoghen delivered on February 11, 2014 in suit Number SC./440/2012 involving Mrs. Mojisola Edebiri (Appellant) and Prince Omotayo Daniel & ANOR (Respondents).

June 20, 2017
Ohakim lied about N270m Abuja property, says EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday accused former Imo State Governor Ikedi Ohakim of lying about the true ownership of a mansion he allegedly procured illegally while in office.

Ohakim, who was governor between 2007 and 2011, is being tried on a three-count charge of money laundering for his alleged purchase of a house in Asokoro in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with cash payment of the dollar equivalent of N270m in November 2008.

Prosecuting witness Dauda Ishaya, a Senior Detective Superintendent with EFCC said Ohakim claimed to have rented the building.

Ohakim was accused of claiming to be a tenant before statements of parties to the purchase of the property at 60, Kwame Nkrumah Street, Plot No 1098, Cadastral ZoneA04, Asokoro District, Abuja, surfaced.

“Intelligence report revealed that there was no bank transfer on purchase for that property – that was against the provisions of the Money Laundering Act.

“We took the accused person to the said property and when he was questioned, he said he was a tenant.

“He said he rented the house from Tweenex Consciates through its Managing Director Abu Sule,” Ishaya said.

He said Sule was invited by the EFCC, but he denied owning the property and told investigators “the real story”.

“He (Sule) said the accused gave him $2.2m cash, an equivalent of N270m as of that time; he collected the money at the Government House lodge in the night and bought the house from Alhaji Isa Maidabino.

“He paid Maidabino the next day and a tenancy agreement of rentage from Tweenex was reached. He renovated the house with another N20 million, which he collected in a Fidelity bank cheque.”

Ishaya said Ohakim did not disclose the property when he was invited by EFCC in 2010 but later confessed to owning it in subsequent statements when he was confronted with fresh evidence.

“We invited the accused person to our office again and showed him the revelation by Abu Sule, then he acknowldged the property,” Ishaya said.

He said the transaction involving cash payment of such amounts contravened the provisions of the Money Laundering Act

The five statements dated January 25, 2013; January 31, 2013; June 18, 2015; June 2, 2015 and 29 June, 2015 obtained from the former governor were tendered by the prosecution and were later admitted by the court as exhibits.

Defence counsel Gordy Uche (SAN) sought for adjournment to allow for cross examination.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola accepted his request and adjourned till November 12.

October 21, 2015