Court orders EFCC to return Bukola Saraki’s houses

The Federal High Court in Lagos has reversed its order forfeiting to the Federal Government of Nigeria two houses in Ilorin belonging to a former Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

The court, in a judgment on Thursday 16th July, by Justice Rilwan Aikawa, released the houses back to the former senator, while delivering judgment on an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), seeking to permanently forfeit the houses to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

In December 2019, EFCC secured a court order for the interim forfeiture of the houses – Plots No . 10 and No . 11 Abdulkadir Road , GRA , Ilorin, Kwara State – after telling the court that they were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities allegedly perpetrated by Saraki while he was the Governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011.

The judge said that he found no sufficient basis in the EFCC application and he could not grant the permanent forfeiture order.

In its application , the Economic and Financial Crime Commission had told the court how it received and investigated “ a damning intelligence report , showing monumental fraud perpetrated in the treasury of the Kwara State Government between 2003 and 2011 ,” when Saraki was the state’s governor.

An operative of the commission, Olamide Sadiq said:

“Whilst investigation was ongoing several fraudulent transactions were discovered.
“I know for a fact and verily believe that our investigation has revealed the following mind-boggling findings, among others:
“That between 2003 and 2011, Dr Olubukola Abubakar Saraki was the Executive Governor of Kwara State.
“That whilst he held the aforementioned position, the common pattern was that after payment of monthly allocation by the Federal Government to the Kwara State Government, a cumulative sum of not less than N100m will be deposited into the Kwara Government House account.
“That upon the payment of the said N100m, same will, in turn, be withdrawn in cash by one Mr Afeez Yusuf from the Kwara State Government House, Ilorin’s account in bits and brought to the Government House.”

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