A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ordered the interim forfeiture of a property linked to Abubakar Dasuki, son of former national security adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki.
The ruling by Justice Emeka Nwite followed an ex-parte motion to that effect by the counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olanrewaju Adeola.
A 14-day notice, the judge ruled, should be published in a national daily and on EFCC website for interested person(s) to show cause why the property should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
The N90 million seven-bedroom detached duplex with basement and two servant rooms is located at House No. D1064 at the Brains and Hammers Estate, Apo, Abuja.
According to the four grounds given by the EFCC why the reliefs should be granted, the commission said: “The property as contained in the schedule in respect of which the reliefs are sought is subject matter of investigation and is reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity.
“The person under investigation and in whose possession the property was found had agreed to forfeit it to the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
In the affidavit deposed to by Chidi Nweke, a superintendent of the EFCC, the anti-graft agency said sometime in November 2015, it received an intelligence report from the NSA office, alleging payments of huge sums of money to individuals and companies by Dasuki.
The agency alleged that the money was paid from the accounts of the NSA between 2012 to 2015 purportedly for cortract awarded to the beneficiaries in which there was no record of any contract.
It said investigation revealed that amongst other funds paid to individual accounts and companies’ accounts from the bank account of the NSA, the sum of N90 million was paid to Brains and Hammers Ltd Fidelity Bank account Number 4010167275.
The case was adjourned until July 14 for hearing.
