Justice
Chuka A. Obiozor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on
Thursday, May 17, 2018, ordered a temporary forfeiture of some
properties worth N1.8bn allegedly belonging to Tuoyo Omatsuli,
Executive Director, Projects, Niger Delta Development Commission, NNDC,
to the Federal Government.
Justice Obiozor gave the order following an ex-parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Counsel
to the applicant, Ekele Iheanacho, in the application, prayed the court
for the forfeiture of these properties belonging to Omatsuli: Block
117, Plot 4, Lekki Peninsula Scheme, TPAO 992, Ikate Ancient City,
Eti-Osa L.G.A, Lagos, measuring 1804.089Sqm and Plots 1-18, Block 43,
TPAO 992, Ikate Ancient City, Lekki Peninsula, Eti-Osa, Lagos, measuring
10,000Sqm.
Others are: Plot 1b, Northern Business District,
Lekki Peninsula Scheme 1, measuring 1000Sqm and Plot 1, Block 25, Lekki
Peninsula Residential Scheme 1, Eti-Osa L.G.A, measuring 2989.10Sqm.
Moving
the application, Iheanacho also referred to paragraph four of the
affidavit, detailing how a contractor with the NDDC, Starline
Consultancy Services Limited, was paid the sum of N10, 218, 019,
060.59) (Ten Billion, Two Hundred and Eighteen Million, Nineteen
Thousand and Sixty Naira) as consultancy fee for levies collected from
oil processing companies in the Niger Delta Region.
He further
said that out of the money paid to Starline, a sum of N3, 645, 000. 00
(Three Billion, Six Hundred and Forty- five Thousand Naira) was paid as
kickback to Omatsuli through a company named Building Associates
Limited.
“Some of the funds were used by Building Associates to
buy properties in the name of a company, Don Parker Properties Limited,
where Omatsuli had majority shareholding,” he added.
Iheanacho
also told the court that one Francis Momoh, who is described as the
majority shareholder in Building Associates Limited, was introduced as a
shareholder in Don Parker Properties Limited so as to disguise the
nature of the crime.
Court orders Interim forfeiture of NDDC Director, Tuoyo Omatsuli’s N1.8bn properties
Friday 18 May 2018
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