The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the temporary forfeiture of N3.5 billion and $67,586.27 in the accounts of former Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) Managing Director, Ibrahim Abdulsalam and other officers.
The other affected officers are – former NAMA General Manager, Procurement, Olumuyiwa Adegorite, former General Manager, Finance, Segun Agbolade and former acting General Manager, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Bolaniran Akinribido.
The rest are – Director of Finance, Clara Aliche, Adegorite’s wife and co-director of Multeng Travels and Tours Limited, Joy, Abiodun Sessebor, Randville Investment Limited, Multeng Travels and Tours, Delosa Limited, Airsea Delivery Limited and Sea Schedule Systems Limited.
Also temporarily forfeited are residential building at 5, Sobo Arobiodu Street, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, a petrol station at Egbeda-Idimu Road, by Faith Bus Stop, a filling station at Idi-Oro, Mushin, and a petrol station at Alakuko, the ownership of which EFCC said was yet to be determined.
Abdulsalam, Adegorite, Agbolade, Aliche, Akinribido, Randville Investment and Multeng Travels and Tours are on trial before Justice Babs Kuewumi of the same court.
They pleaded not guilty to 21- count charge of N2.8billion fraud.
Justice Oluremi Oguntoyibo made the interim forfeiture order based on an ex-parte originating summons filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The commission sought an order that the bank accounts of the 12 persons and companies “currently being prosecuted for offences of conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence be temporarily attached and taken over by EFCC” until trial is concluded.
EFCC prayed for an order that all dealings and transactions on the bank accounts be suspended pending the conclusion of prosecution of the alleged offences against them.
The prosecution also asked that the properties, buildings, parcels of land and premises belonging to the accused persons be temporarily vested in the EFCC.
Among sums forfeited are N30,08million in Adegorite’s Stanbic IBTC account with no. 9302194973; N8.7million and N120million in Randville Investment’s Stabic IBTC account (0001427188) and Unity Bank account (0025152223), and $42,386.27 in Adegorite’s First City Monument Bank (FCMB) account (numbered 1546629019).
Others are N2.8million in Delosa’s GTBank account, N1.2billion in Avesta Venture’s Electronics Nigeria Limited’s Zenith Bank account; N985.6million, N281million, N681million and N47million in different Zenith Bank accounts of Merry Aviation Communication Electrical, among others.
In a supporting affidavit, an EFCC investigating officer, Nuradeen Bello, said the commission received a petition last January 13 alleging that some management staff of NAMA stole government funds running into billions of naira through fictitious procurement contracts, fake container clearing contracts and fraudulent cash advances to some members of staff.