Kwara civil servant forfeits N150m plaza to FG.

By Kehinde Akinpelu, Ilorin

Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of a Kwara state High Court sitting in Ilorin, the state capital on Thursday ordered the final forfeiture of a plaza valued N150 million belonging to a civil servant in Kwara state, Rasaq Momonu to the federal government.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ilorin zonal office had approached the court to give an order of final forfeiture of Asmau Plaza situated on University Road, Tanke area of Ilorin on the suspicion that the said property was acquired with proceeds of unlawful activity.

Delivering the judgment in the case on Thursday, Justice Oyinloye held that the EFCC has fulfilled all the requirements of the law and thereby, ordered that the said property should be forfeited to the federal government.

“I have gone through the application brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. I also sighted the hearing notice issued to the respondent in the suit, Rasaq Momonu. This court is persuaded that he has been served with the court processes.

“The application brought by the EFCC is meritorious and granted; this court hereby orders the final forfeiture of the landed property known as Asmau Plaza, Tanke Road, Ilorin, Kwara state to the federal government,” the judge ruled.

In the affidavit deposed to by Musa Gidado an investigating officer with the EFCC, the anti-graft agency urged the judge to order the final forfeiture of the plaza which is suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity.

Gidado said “investigations revealed that Rasaq Momonu used his influence as accountant with the Kwara state government to inflate and award contracts for the construction of two classrooms at Ogbondoroko and Obanisuwa Community in Kwara state.

“Investigations further revealed that the respondent who is a civil servant that earns less than N100, 000 in a month cannot afford to build the house known as Asmau Plaza between 2010 -2012.

“I know as a fact, that the respondent was confronted with the above findings by the applicant, which he did not dispute and has agreed to forfeit the property known as Asmau Plaza to the federal government.”

Moving the application for final forfeiture on Thursday, counsel to the EFCC, Nnaemeka Omewa urged the court to grant the order based on the provisions of Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and other fraud related offences Act, 2006.

Omewa said that “My lord, we have a motion on notice dated July 19, 2019 and filed on the same day. The motion is brought pursuant to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and other fraud related offences Act. I urged the court to grant the motion.”

Justice Oyinloye however, granted the application and resolved all the issues raised in favour of the EFCC and also said the order for final forfeiture should be published in two national newspapers.