The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, handed over 14 properties initially forfeited to the Federal Government and now ceded to the government and people of Enugu State.
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| The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman, Mr Ola Olukoyede, hands over 14 forfeited properties to Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah (l). Photo: @officialEFCC |
The transfer of the properties to Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah was performed by the Executive Chairman of EFCC, Mr Ola Olukoyede at the corporate headquarters of the Commission.
Speaking before the brief handover ceremony, Olukoyede who disclosed that the road to the forfeiture dated back to 2007, stated that the event spoke of the mutually beneficial relationship existing between the federal government and states.
“What we are witnessing today testifies to a symbiotic relationship that should exist between the federal government and the state governments. The essence of our meeting here today is for us to hand over properties that were forfeited to the federal government, which of course belong to Enugu State people back to the people. It shows that governance can work in Nigeria. Our people deserve the benefits of good governance and that is what is being evidenced here today.
Speaking further, he said, “If you look at the history of this particular matter, it takes us back to 2007 when we started the prosecution. So we are looking at about 17 years since the matter has been on. Eventually, some of the properties were forfeited and since then, the EFCC has been managing those properties even though the titles of quite a number of the properties have been revoked by the Enugu State government. What we are witnessing here today is the official handing over of the properties to the people of Enugu State through His Excellency, Dr Peter Mbah,” Olukoyede said.
Earlier in his remarks, Governor Mbah expressed gratitude for the handover and thanked the EFCC chair and the Commission for ensuring that the people of his state reclaimed their common patrimony.
“I would like to express my profound gratitude for the event we are witnessing today. The importance and significance of this event can never be lost on us and we do not also take it for granted. So I want to take this opportunity to convey my profound gratitude and deep appreciation to the chairman and members of the EFCC team who have brought us to where we are today. This is a journey that began several years ago and we are marking a formal closure to that journey here today. A journey that saw the successful prosecution of certain companies in possession of assets belonging to the people of Enugu State,”
The properties comprise houses, transmission equipment for radio and television stations, a building for medical operations, among others.
The forfeited properties were recovered from a former governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani.
Justice Mohammed Yinusa of the Federal High Court, Lagos on July 8, 2015 convicted four companies associated with Nnamani and ordered that their properties be forfeited to the Federal Government.
The four companies are Rainbownet Nigeria Limited, Cosmos FM, Capital City Automobile Nigeria Limited and Renaissance University Teaching Hospital. The companies had on May 19, 2015 pleaded guilty to a 10-count amended charge brought against them by the EFCC.
