N138M FRAUD: COURT ORDERS INTERIM FORFEITURE OF NAVAL OFFICERS’ PROPERTIES, MONEY

Justice Muslim Hassan of the Federal High Court in Lagos, yesterday, ordered the temporary forfeiture of two properties located in the Lekki area of the state, belonging to two Naval officers, Captain Olotu Olumuyiwa Morakinyo and Captain Ebony Emmanuel Aneke to the Nigerian government.

According to Dailypost news, Justice Hassan also granted another order, temporarily forfeiting to the government the sum of N11, 040,000 found in the account of a limited liability company, Lakewood Garden Ventures Limited suspected to be a proceed of unlawful activity.

The judge granted the order after entertaining an ex-parte application argued before him by a lawyer from the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Idris Abdullahi Mohammed.

The EFCC had in an affidavit attached to the application and disposed to by one of its operatives, Idris Adamu, claimed that it received intelligence report for the case of conspiracy, stealing and money laundering against the two Naval officers, who were posted to Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) as Maritime Guard Commanders from September 2011 to September 2015.

Adamu maintained in the affidavit that Captain Morakinyo received monies from the people listed below: Yahaya Kanawa -N3,800,000; Maigai Intergrated Limited-N4,650,000; Capital Providers Limited -N8,000,000; Crescent Pillars Investment Limited; N18,000,000.

He alleged that the military officer converted the sum of N6,500,000 meant for the construction of a communication centre for Maritime Guard Command, and that monies totalling N40,950,000, property of NIMASA were received through his personal account domicile at Access Bank Plc.

In his ruling, Justice Hassan apart from granting the order of interim forfeiture, also ordered the anti-graft agency to publish the order of the court in any national daily for the respondents or anyone who is interested in the properties sought to be forfeited to appear before the court to show cause within 14 days why the final forfeiture of the properties should not be made in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Source: Dailypost