
Politics
Over 2,000 assets forfeited by Diezani, others rot away

• Bawa and Owasanoye
Over 2,000 assets, including proceeds of corruption, confiscated from politically exposed persons, civil servants and other individuals are currently rotting away, findings by Sunday PUNCH have revealed.
This is happening at a time the Federal Government is facing a cash crunch that has made it resort to borrowing from multilateral agencies and China to pay salaries and execute capital projects.
Some of the assets include over 90 sea vessels, scores of fuel-laden tankers, trucks, exotic cars, residential and commercial buildings, machinery, phones, laptops, jewellery, furniture, equipment and other items, which have been left at the mercy of the elements.
The assets were recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Police Force, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and others.
Apart from this, many of the assets have also been cornered by top officials of the agencies and the government or sold to their cronies illegally.
A report of the Presidential Committee on Audit of Recovered Assets titled, ‘Final Report of the Presidential Investigation Committee on the EFCC Federal Government Recovered Assets and Finances from May 2015 to May 2020’, stated that the former acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, could not give a proper account of 332 out of the 836 recovered properties in March 2018.
The panel alleged that recovered properties were taken over by some top EFCC officials or sold to Magu’s friends and cronies at giveaway prices.
It also disclosed that the retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police was unable to account for the interest generated from the N550bn cash recovered from 2015 to 2020.
The report stated, “A disturbing example is the two vessels that allegedly sank at the NNS Beecroft Naval Base, Lagos, and the NNS Pathfinder Naval Base in Port Harcourt without trace under the watch of the acting chairman of the EFCC.
“The vessels named MT GOOD SUCCESS, MV PSV DERBY and MV THAMES were allowed to sink in spite of several warnings from the Navy on the need to evacuate the petroleum products in the vessels.”
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the damning report led to the constitution of the Justice Ayo Salami committee, which probed Magu’s tenure and recommended his sacking and prosecution.
Diezani, Badeh’s assets
Some of the abandoned properties were seized from a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke; the late Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, and hundreds of other people convicted of corruption by the anti-graft agencies.
Diezani, who was minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan, has been in the United Kingdom since 2015 and has refused to return to Nigeria.
Assets confiscated from her are located in highbrow Banana Island Foreshore Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, and include 18 flats and six penthouses at Building 3, Block B, Bella Vista, Plot 1, Zone N, Federal Government Layout.
Other recovered items are 125 pieces of wedding gowns, 13 pieces of small gowns, 41 pieces of waist trainers, 73 pieces of hard flowers, 11 pieces of suit, 11 pieces of invisible bra, 73 pieces of veils, 30 pieces of braziers, two pieces of standing fans, 17 pieces of magic skits, six packets of blankets, one table blanket and 64 pairs of shoes.
Assets confiscated from Badeh are located in the Wuse 2 and Maitama areas of the Federal Capital Territory.
Other assets listed for sale by the government include No. 14 Adzope Crescent, off Kumasi Crescent; 19 Kumasi Crescent, Wuse 2; and 6 Umme Street, Wuse 2, Abuja.
Assets’ locations
Investigations revealed that the forfeited assets were being kept in over 25 locations across the country and many of them were said to have depreciated greatly.
For instance, scores of the seized vehicles kept at a dump opposite the National Mosque, Central Business District, Abuja, are no longer serviceable. Some of them have also been vandalised or plundered, while others have been destroyed.
The premises of the EFCC headquarters in Jabi, Abuja; Lagos, Port Harcourt and other places are also littered with fleets of forfeited exotic cars, which are rotting away under the elements.
In March, over 20 trucks filled with assorted types of petroleum products impounded from suspected illegal artisanal refiners were gutted by fire following a massive explosion at the Iriebe premises of the EFCC in the Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Similarly, the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Assessment and Status of All Recovered Loots Movable and Immovable Assets from 2002 to 2020 by Agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria for Effective, Efficient Management and Utilisation raised the alarm last November that some of the 90 ships seized by the EFCC had begun to sink in waters across the country.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, had in November 2020, inaugurated an inter-ministerial committee on forfeited assets following the approval of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on October 27.
The committee was initially headed by the erstwhile Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Dayo Apata, who handed over to his successor after his retirement in July 2021.
The committee was given a six-month timeframe for the disposal of all Federal Government assets slated for sale.
Speaking during the inauguration of the committee in Abuja, Malami stated, “The Asset Tracing, Recovery and Management Regulations, 2019, the standard operating procedures and terms of reference are the working tools to serve as guidelines for the inter-ministerial committee and how best to actualise the quick disposal of the Federal Government assets in line with Mr President’s directive.
“Your mandate is to ensure the expedient disposal of all FGN forfeited assets and generate revenue for the Federal Government of Nigeria. On this note, I wish to implore the inter-ministerial committee to work as a formidable team with the relevant agencies in accordance with extant laws and regulations. It is also my hope that the proceeds from this exercise will be a source of additional revenue for the country.”
The committee subsequently screened 613 independent valuers to manage the sale of the assets marked for auction, whose number it put at 1,620, including cars, houses, phones, laptops, vessels and other valuables.
Lagos had the highest number of properties comprising 31 houses and 589 vehicles.
In the course of its work, the committee members visited five locations in Abuja where they identified properties, including house No. 6 Ethiope Close, Maitama; 19 Kumasi Crescent; 14 Adzope Crescent, Wuse; and a commercial building, Platinum Resident Hotel, Owu Fall Close at Amasco Platinum City, Galadimawa.
At the expiration of the deadline, 284 firms submitted bids for the valuation of landed property, including residential, commercial, institutional and underdeveloped plots of land slated for disposal.
Court intervention
However, the committee’s assignment was truncated in May 2022, by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, which nullified the Asset Tracing, Recovery and Management Regulations, 2019, for being “an invalid statutory instrument.”
All sale and disposal of assets made by the AGF under the regulations were also nullified by the court.
The order was made by Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa in suit FHC/L/CS/40/2021 filed by the Incorporated Trustees of HEDA Resource Centre.
The AGF’s power to set up the committee was challenged by HEDA, through its counsel, Omotayo Olatubosun, who argued that the regulations conflicted with the EFCC Act; Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administrative Act, 2015; National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, 2004; and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission Act, 2000, among others, on the matter of disposal of final forfeited assets.
Govt officials silent
The AGF’s spokesman, Umar Gwandu, directed all inquiries on assets management and disposal to the Head of Asset Recovery in the Ministry of Justice, Hajia Ladidi Muhammed, but she was unreachable on the telephone. She had yet to reply to an SMS seeking her reaction as of the time of filing this report on Saturday.
The Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, did not respond to inquiries on the delayed disposal of the assets. He had yet to respond to a text message requesting his comment on the matter.
When contacted, the ICPC spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, simply said, ‘’Before the passing of POCA (Proceeds of Crime Recovery and Management Act, 2022), an inter-agency committee was responsible for disposing of assets. With the passing of POCA in May 2022, the commission is following all due process in assets forfeiture, recovery and management.”
The Customs spokesman, Timi Bomodi, said many cases involving seized items were still being heard by courts.
But when asked about the permanently forfeited assets, he said, “Do you know more than me? If you say it is public knowledge, then go and get your reaction from there,” he said and cut the call.
The spokesperson, Ministry of Finance, Philomena Abiamuwe-Mowete, said the delay in selling the assets did not concern the ministry. But when reminded that the Nigeria Customs Service, which is under the ministry, also had catalogues of assets that had yet to be sold, she terminated the phone call abruptly.
Auctioneers speak
Commenting on the delay in disposing of the wasting assets, the President, Nigeria Association of Auctioneers, Alhaji Musa Kura, lamented the failure of the government to get value from the assets, noting that they were being vandalised.
He complained about the delay in selling the assets, saying it was unfair to seize the properties and allow them to waste away.
According to him, some of the assets, particularly ships, will eventually be sold as scraps as they are no longer serviceable.
Kura stated, “Some of them are being vandalised on a daily basis; we go round, we know where most of these things are and we know their conditions. The government needs money, so why allow these assets to be perishing when they can fetch money?
“Instead of leaving these things to perish, why don’t you sell them and put the money in government coffers? Unfortunately, for almost five years now, this issue has been lingering and nothing has been done.”
A member of the Certified Institute of Auctioneers Nigeria, Prince Adeshina Okuneye, submitted that the abandoned assets could fetch the government at least N4tn.
He stated, “Presently, the Federal Government is losing money and revenue on these forfeited assets, which officially was put at N4tn, and we are saying we don’t have money. Is this reasonable for a country that has over 20 million out-of-school children coupled with the unending ASUU strike?
“The country is losing out and will continue to lose money if we are lackadaisical and let the forfeited properties rot and waste away in the various dumps; even the ships will soon become history after vandalism and eventual sinking.”
The Registrar, Certified Institute of Auctioneers, Mr Adeleke Hassan, said professional auctioneers were ready to assist the government to sell the assets, adding that the institute was willing to offer his expertise in the service of the nation.
“We organised a conference in 2018 and told the government that we are ready to assist in disposing of the assets anytime they are ready. But we are not part of the government committee, so we don’t even know where the assets are.”
Lawyers knock govt
In his reaction, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, said the properties were not supposed to rot or waste.
He stated, “Usually, the courts grant interim or permanent forfeiture of assets. Each of the agencies involved is required to dispose or manage such assets through transparent procedures. What happened in recent time was that the Attorney-General of the Federation made a regulation whereby he decided albeit illegally to acquire and dispose of assets forfeited by the government.
“In the entire constitution, there is no provision empowering the AGF to acquire and dispose of assets. Each of the law enforcement agencies is empowered by the law setting it up to dispose of assets through a transparent procedure and remit the funds realised from the sale to the account of the Federal Government.”
Similarly, Ebun-Olu Adegoruwa, SAN, said the Buhari regime needed to create an interim body that would manage the forfeited assets, noting that pending the expiration of cases and appeals over the assets, it was important that they remained viable for return or disposal, depending on the judgment of the courts.
While referencing the Salami panel that disclosed the underhand dealings of some corrupt members of the anti-corruption agencies and the depreciation of assets, he said such acts were a dent on the anti-corruption war.
Another lawyer, Kemi Pinehero, SAN, said, “You (government) need some form of statutory intervention that allows effective disposal of the seized assets or their translation into liquid assets so that if anything happens, you can use it to remit back to the defendants in the event that the litigation is set aside.
“Apart from the statutory intervention, you also need the cooperation of the judiciary to help expedite the appeals that arise from corruption cases.”
Another lawyer, Malachy Ugwumadu, stated, “You will appreciate that we have Assets Forfeiture Act and there are policies of the government that specifically targets the proceeds of crime in the event of either conviction to trial, whether civil or criminal.
“Nigeria should not become a wasteful country. Why will such assets be wasting away? You can remember that when the federal capital moved from Lagos to Abuja, a lot of properties were abandoned. I have done matters even in Abuja that you will be scandalised to see one quarter of the buildings in the Federal Capital Territory, particularly the very giant buildings there are not occupied. I think the government should revive whatever special body it is or direct the relevant agencies of government to act on the recovered properties.”
Meanwhile, the Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Awual Rafsanjani, has called for a legal framework to streamline and manage all seized assets by law enforcement agencies in ways that would not lead to depreciation or spoilage.
He said, “CISLAC has been at the forefront of advocating a legal framework that will ensure proper management of recovered assets in Nigeria. Currently, so many agencies are recovering assets without public accountability on how they are being utilised.
“People cannot recover assets and another set of people will disappear with them. There should be a framework that will account for each agency’s recovery to ensure transparency and accountability.
“There must also be quick and firm judicial pronouncement to ensure that perishables do not spoil because the spoilage of assets is bad for the country.”
Politics
Enugu APC commends Gov. Mbah over road Infrastructure, Smart Schools, Health Centres

• We’ve seen good governance in Enugu – Ex-Speaker, Odo

THE major stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Enugu North Senatorial Zone of Enugu state, have commended the state Governor Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, for embarking on massive road infrastructure, building of smart green schools and health centres across the 260 wards in the state.
This is just as the group appealed to the APC-led administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to extend federal appointments to members of the party from Enugu North Senatorial zone.
Addressing journalists in Nsukka after a stakeholders meeting of APC members from the zone, the leader of the group Brigadier-General J. O. J. Okoloagu (retd), praised Governor Mbah for building durable roads in several parts of the state, especially in Enugu North senatorial zone which includes Nsukka and its environs.
He said: “I make bold to state that the present government in Enugu state is doing well. I don’t care what anybody says. We had our son there as governor for eight years, and I couldn’t come home because the roads were not there. But today, the roads are there.
“I went to a market in Nsukka, and honestly I couldn’t believe I was in Nsukka because of the changes that had taken place there.
“We commend Governor Mbah, and ask him, please, not to change his attitude towards Nsukka people.”
The retired Brigadier-General who is also a member of the APC Board of Trustees(BoT), lamented that the leadership of the party in Enugu state had been hijacked by people he described as charlatans.
He pleaded with the national leadership of the party to redress the situation, saying if nothing is done in that regard, the party would perform woefully in future elections in the state.
“I make bold to say that when this party was formed, the so-called party chairman today Barrister Ugo Agballah, was not even a member of the party. He was first in PDP, and later defected to APGA. And when he came into APC, he started suspending people who built the party, and who were there before him. I won’t be surprised if tomorrow those who call themselves members of APC in Enugu state, suspend or expel a BoT member, forgetting that a BoT member is a life-time appointment,” said Okoloagu.
He called on the national leadership of the party to institute a caretaker committee to run the affairs of the party in the state prior to the 2027 general elections.
He reminded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that the bulk of the votes he got in Enugu state during the last presidential election came from Enugu North senatorial zone, urging him to reward APC members from the zone with federal appointments.
Also, speaking to journalists, the former Speaker, Enugu state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Eugene Odo, thanked Governor Mbah for extending the dividends of democracy to Enugu North senatorial zone.
“We strongly commend the governor of Enugu state for his giant strides especially in Enugu North senatorial zone. For us, we believe he exceeded our expectations, and we pray and urge him not to relent in the dividends of democracy he is giving the people of Enugu North.
“We’re not just doing politics for the sake of doing politics, rather we’re doing politics for the sake of occasioning good governance, and we have seen such good governance in Enugu state, in terms of infrastructure, and our people have benefited in one way or the other…
“There is the dualisation of Opi-Nsukka road, and suffice it to say that we have relatively a catchment advantage.
“The smart school system that is being constructed in every ward and the type C hospital in every ward engenders a comparative advantage for the Enugu North senatorial zone. While we have 260 wards in Enugu state, Enugu North alone has 102 wards. That means that we have 102 type C hospitals, and also 102 smart schools. The remaining two senatorial zones are sharing 158. That, of course, we commend Governor Mbah, and we believe that this is what actually APC would have done if they are in power, and even more,” said the ex-lawmaker.
He advised Barrister Ugo Agballah, to desist from parading himself as the state chairman of APC, saying that “the court has suspended him through an injunction,” and the “injunction has not been vacated.”
Odo, a lawyer and two tenure speaker, Enugu state House of Assembly, accused Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo state, and the Minister of Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji of spearheading the leadership crisis in Enugu APC.
“…Enugu state is not a colony of Imo state, and so Governor Uzodinma should leave Enugu state alone. He has actually spoiled the party in Enugu state.
“In my interview on December 29, I described Governor Uzodinma as somebody who is handling Enugu state as if he is a headmaster or a divisional police officer. The South-East is an egalitarian society founded on Republicanism. So, 10,000 Hope’s cannot impose wrong leadership on Enugu APC.”
The meeting was well-attended by chieftains of the party including the zonal chairman, Idoko Emmanuel, Barr Ejike Ugwu, Mr. Anayo Ugwu, and members of the state executive of the party.
Politics
Former Delta Gov, Ifeanyi Okowa, defects to APC


Former Governor of Delta State and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential running mate in the 2023 election, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has dumped the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Okowa confirmed the news of his defection to ARISE NEWS on Wednesday following the announcement of the current governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, who also defected from the PDP to the APC on Wednesday.
The development was disclosed by Senator James Manager after a six-hour meeting at Government House, Asaba.
“All PDP members in the state, including the governor, former Governor Okowa, the Speaker, the state party chairman, all the local government chairmen and others, have agreed to move to the APC,” Manager stated. “We cannot continue to be in a sinking boat.”
Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr Aniagwu Charles, officially confirmed the sweeping political shift, attributing the decision to the need for renewed direction and enhanced governance in the state.
“There is a need for us to adjust our drinking patterns. And in adjusting that drinking pattern, we needed to make a decision that would further help to cement the development in our state,” he said.
Aniagwu added that the move aimed to sustain progress in law, security, and welfare, likening the PDP to a “palm wine whose taste has changed,” necessitating a change in “drinking party”.
He further indicated that the defection was unanimously agreed upon by key PDP leaders and stakeholders in the state, with a formal public declaration expected on Monday.
“By the grace of God, on Monday next week, we will be able to make a very big statement confirming that we are moving into the APC,” he said.
The mass defection represents a dramatic realignment in Delta State’s political landscape and could significantly alter party dynamics in the broader South-South region, historically a PDP stronghold.
Okowa will be received on Monday by Vice President Kashim Shettima alongside Governor Oborevwori.
Politics
2027: Obi could be President under PDP, says Sowunmi


However, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South), has dismissed moves by some political actors to form a coalition with the aim of defeating President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election, describing them as content creators.
Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, left the PDP in June 2022, citing inability to make “constructive contributions.”
In an interview with the ‘Mic On podcast’ hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, the PDP chief said, “Obi needs a bigger platform” going forward.
“Looking ahead to 2027, the PDP of Nigeria will open its processes, announce when the forms are available, and anyone who feels confident enough to contest should step forward and do so.
“If I were Peter Obi, I would return to the PDP and make a strong case for the presidential ticket. I believe he should come back to the party. This party was originally conceived in the bedroom of (the late) Alex Ekwueme; so, I don’t understand why the Igbo, along with southern leaders and other influential figures within the PDP, can’t come together and say, ‘Alright, we recognise this – here’s the ticket.”
He noted that if Obi could secure over six million votes on his own, without governors or major support, just imagine what he could achieve with 12 governors and a solid grassroots infrastructure.
“We’ve covered every region, but we have not gone to the South East yet. Still, Obi is free to make his own decisions. If his numbers and the animated energy that is following him were to follow him into the PDP and he is the presidential candidate, I can guarantee you he would take the South East, South South, the Christian North and North Central,” he added.
The PDP stalwart clarified that he was only speaking hypothetically in response to a question about possible political alignments ahead of 2027.
RECENTLY, some political heavyweights in the opposition, including former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, broached talks for a coalition that would oust the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
Addressing journalists in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, capital, yesterday, where the APC caucus in the state met to endorse the President for a second term, Adaramodu explained that Tinubu, in less than two years, initiated programmes and policies impacting positively on the citizens.
He lauded the President for his decisive economic reforms that revitalised the country’s economy as well as his comprehensive security strategies that, according to him, addressed insecurity in the country.
The Senate spokesman said APC was not disturbed about the movement of the opposition figures, describing it as a political entertainment that would not affect the expected victory of Tinubu.
He appealed to Nigerians not to take the promoters of the coalition for 2027 seriously, but remain committed and continue their support for Tinubu in his quest to deliver his Renewed Hope Agenda for the country.
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