Abuja High Court Orders Forfeiture Of Ex-minister’s 14 Houses

The Abuja Federal High Court Justice Nnamdi Dimgba has ordered the interim forfeiture of 14 houses in “choice areas” of Abuja. They are believed to be owned by former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Bala Mohammed and his son, Shamsuddeen.

The order was given by the judge yesterday while ruling on an ex-parte application brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Justice Dimgba ordered the EFCC to publish a notice in a newspaper and on the EFCC’s website “inviting all persons/bodies, who may have interest in the properties to show cause why the said properties should not be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.”

The EFCC stated in the ex parte application that Mohammed and his son have denied either owning the properties or having any link with them.
The commission said the preliminary investigation it conducted revealed that the properties listed on the schedule, attached to the application, were unlawfully acquired through corrupt practices by Mohammed and his son when he was in office as Minister of the FCT.

The properties, according to the EFCC included one “mansion” located at Sunrise Estate, Asokoro; three sets of four-bedroom semi-detached duplex at Green Acres Estate, Apo-Dutse; two sets of four-bedroom fully detached duplexes each with a boys’ quarters on Gana Street, Maitama, Abuja, close to Transcorps Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

The EFCC also listed a four-bedroom detached duplex with boys’ quarter located at 9, Platinum Luxury Home White Estate, Asokoro, Abuja.

From some documents attached to the application by the EFCC, facilities in ?some of the properties include “excellent road and drainage network; dedicated transformer; borehole for constant water supply; fitted kitchen, bedroom cabinet and wardrobes; ample parking space; and children playing ground”.

The rest of the properties are plots of land in six different locations in Abuja. They include the one located at Karasana West, Abuja, measuring 84,657.30m2; Industrial Area 1 Extension, Abuja, measuring 1.45Ha; and Guzape, Abuja measuring 2.7Ha.

Others were located at Industrial Area 1 Extension, Abuja, measuring 1.26Ha; Karasana West, Abuja measuring 64,507m2; and Dakibiyu, Abuja measuring 1,251.15m2.