A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered a final forfeiture of a multi-million naira hotel, Sunflower Hotel Limited, in Kaduna State, linked to a former Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof. Vincent Tenebe, to the Federal Government.
Justice Inyang Ekwo gave the order following a motion on notice for the final forfeiture of the property moved by the counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), F.O. Dibang.
“Order is hereby made forfeiting property set out in the scheduled attached herein found in the possession of the respondent as properties reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities to the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Justice Ekwo said.
The order made on October 22 was obtained in Abuja on Monday, October 28, 2024.
While the EFCC was the applicant in the motion on notice marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/33/2024, Sunflower Hotel Limited was the sole respondent.
The motion was dated and filed on June 21.
Justice Ekwo had, on February 16, granted EFCC’s application for the preservation of the hotel.
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The judge also directed the EFCC to publish the order, within 14 days, in any national newspaper and on its website or by any other means of publication.
He said this was to enable all persons or bodies who might have interest in the property known as Sunflower Hotel located in Kaduna to claim ownership of the property and to show cause why the property should not be forfeited to the Federal Government.
The case was then adjourned until March 5 for a report.
Meanwhile, in the affidavit in support of the motion on notice dated and filed on June 21, the operative in the Economic Governance Section of EFCC, Dare Opeyemi, said he had the consent of the commission’s chairman to depose to the affidavit.
Opeyemi said in December 2022, the EFCC received “intelligence report alleging the offence of conspiracy and stealing, diversion of public funds and criminal breach of trust involving one Monday Oyeme, erstwhile Chairman, Delta State Board of Internal Revenue and a former Bursar of NOUN, and one Adamu Danlami, the owner of Crossbill International Limited, who are all at large)”
He said the investigation, which had been concluded, revealed that Onyeme, while he was the Bursar of NOUN, conspired with other staff to divert public funds into companies where he had subsisting interest.
He said that investigations further revealed that Crossbill International Limited owned by Danladi received a huge portion of the illicit funds fraudulently diverted from the institution’s account by Mr Onyeme.
Opeyemi added that investigations also revealed that Crossbill, from the illicit funds, diverted from NOUN account, made payments to other entities known as Wanone Investment Limited, Tanadi Limited, Namutane Foundation, and Sunflower Hotel Limited.
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