By Daniel Tyokua
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the interim forfeiture of N110.4 million traced to the bank accounts of one Mr James Erebuoye and seven other suspects by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission for allegedly being proceeds of crime.
This followed an ex parte motion submitted by Raheem Adesina on behalf of ICPC before Justice D. Okorowa, the commission prayed for an order of interim forfeiture of a Toyota Lexus and a Toyota Venza SUV, including an Ipad device.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the ICPC spokesperson, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, titled, ‘ICPC secures interim forfeiture of N110.4m traced to a primary school teacher and her accomplices,’ the properties were seized by the anti-graft agency from Erebuoye and his accomplices who were alleged to have benefitted from the over N550 million illicit fund stashed in the account of a primary school teacher, Mrs Roseline Egbuha.
Egbuha, who teaches at Ozala Primary School, Abagana, Anambra State, was arrested in June 2020 by the commission for alleged money laundering.
She had told investigators during interrogation that the money found in her account belonged to her 24-year-old son, Chidozie Ejeaka, whose whereabouts could not be established.
A Post No Debit was placed on the account to allow the ICPC to carry out further investigation, while a case of forfeiture of the suspected proceeds of crime was instituted against her.
The ICPC found that N110,364,592.4 was surreptitiously moved sometime in 2020, from the bank account of the primary school teacher into different accounts owned by Erebuoye and eight other persons, including two companies.
‘’The money to be forfeited includes N17.4mn that was transferred to the bank account of Erebuoye, N14.2mn to an account owned by one Ojo Alonge, N16.4mn to a company called DY Bako and Sons Ltd and N30.8mn to another company known as Dorason Construction Ltd.
‘’The order for interim forfeiture also covers the sums of N7.1mn traced to an account owned by Owoyemi Mayowa, N8.2mn and N6.5mn traced to the bank accounts of Emon Okune and Maureen Chidinma, respectively,’’ the statement explained.
